Analysts at Goldman Sachs, led by Bonnie Herzog, surveyed retail and wholesale contacts representing 33,000 US convenience & gas store locations, which represents about a fifth of that retail channel. Here are some of their findings:
A recent report by Credit Suisse Analyst Lauren Silberman and her team outlined trends in the US restaurant sector, which is an important sales channel for fountain and packaged beverages. Here are some of the points from the April 13 report that BD found most important for the beverage industry:
CEO Sees Challenging Second-Quarter. Says Crisis Response in Coke's 'DNA.'
April 21, 2020
Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey emphasized the company’s resilience today as it reported first-quarter earnings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are initial takeaways from today’s earnings release and company-hosted calls with Wall Street analysts and media:
COVID-19 UPDATES. States have been expanding access to online grocery delivery and pickup service for SNAP recipients in response to safety concerns during the...
US Launch in Limbo Despite Retail Pitch. Pepsi Café, too?
April 14, 2020
Back in January, Coke was busy showing US retailers its new Coca-Cola with Coffee offering in preparation for an April launch. Now it appears the plan has been delayed amid the COVID-19 crisis. While Coke declined to confirm any specific launch plans or delay, a spokesman did offer insight on the subject when asked...
A sports drink brand backed by cannabis producer Canopy Growth and with potential access to the beer distribution network of Constellation Brands is preparing to launch its first ready-to-drink product next month. Toronto-based BioSteel Sports Nutrition, known for its powdered pink beverage, wants to...
20-oz ‘Fallen Off a Cliff.’ New Retail Data: Beverage Category Sales Slowed.
April 14, 2020
As COVID-19 home lockdowns drag on, beverage bottlers in the Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper and independent beverage distribution systems have seen large store sales slow in April compared to the extreme stock-up buying by consumers last month, according to BD’s ongoing informal survey. Bottlers are increasingly concerned about the shift to future consumption from immediate consumption, which has pressured profit margins. The following are comments from bottlers since late last week, organized by topic...
New York is one of the hardest hit COVID-19 regions in the world. It’s also the home to Big Geyser, one of the largest and most important independent beverage distributors (and incubators) in the US. The company serves almost 13 million consumers in New York City’s five boroughs and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. BD spoke this week to Big Geyser COO Jerry Reda to find out how the company is responding to the crisis. He estimated that only about...