Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/143145
EDITOR'S NOTE In the Good Old Summertime R um has traditionally been a favorite spirit among consumers looking for a wide variety of refreshing and tasty cocktails during the summer months. And while high-end sipping rums have become more prevalent in recent years, it is still the white and spiced versions that comprise the vast percentage of rum sales, and it is still the Mojito and numerous other summery cocktails that consumers flock to. Still, as this issue's rum story points out (see story on page 15), suppliers are not content to stand still, as they continue to introduce new and varied spiced and flavored versions of rum to create trial and bring more consumers into the category. Of course, beer is the most popular beverage alcohol drink, volume-wise, during the summer. It's probably no exaggeration to say that millions of people across the U.S. will be out on their decks with their friends this summer, relaxing with a suitcase of their favorite mainstream lager or light beer by their side. On the other hand, some of those people may actually be trying the latest regional IPA that a friend has brought over. While the craft beer category is still relatively modest compared to the overall U.S. beer market (approximately 6.5% of beer volume, 10.0% of dollar volume), its annual double-digit growth and its influence in the marketplace has shown that consumer tastes in this segment are certainly evolving (see story on page 27). One of the most confounding issues when discussing summertime drinking is why sparkling wine sales do not explode during the warmweather months. While sparkling wine sales pick up during the holiday selling season, the summer months have traditionally seen sparkling sales fall a little flat. As our sparkling wine story notes (see page 30), "consumers have started to seek out bubbly year-round. In the summertime, in particular, refreshing frizzantes make leisurely brunches more scintillating and bring a touch of splendor to evenings on the patio. Plus, bubbles can be the perfect pairing to everything from barbecue to picnic fare." Clearly, U.S. sales of prosecco continue to be on fire, while sales of fizzy moscato have been booming. Still, there are lots of opportunities for retailers to educate consumers on the several reasons that sparkling wines, from proseccos to champagnes, are excellent choices for a variety of summer drinking occasions. And then we have the latest influx of ready-to-drink, premixed cocktails (see story on page 34). Suppliers continue to be creative in devising new packaging alternatives, and new flavor and cocktail offerings to entice consumers to buy, particularly for the many forms of summer partying. The opportunities for incremental sales increases during the summer are there. Retailers have to highlight the most relevant product categories, and educate their customers on how and why these products can bring added enjoyment to their meals and leisure activities. Executive Vice President and Group Publisher Charles Forman Tel: 845-426-6072 Fax: 845-426-6423 email: cforman@specialtyim.com Editor-in-Chief Richard Brandes Tel: 212-353-3832 Fax: 212-353-8214 email: rbrandes@specialtyim.com Contributing Editors Dan Berger Harriet Lembeck Melissa Niksic F. Paul Pacult Robert Plotkin Michael Sherer Vice President of Sales, Associate Publisher Anthony Bongiovanni tbongiovanni@specialtyim.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Mark Marcon mmarcon@specialtyim.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Debbie Rittenberg drittenberg@specialtyim.com Art Director Adam Lane Senior Research Analyst Adam Rogers List Rental Manager Cheryl Naughton R E TA I L E R E D I T O R I A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R D Charles Bailes III Ralph Bondon ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Orlando, FL Berbiglia's, Kansas City, MO David Breitstein Duke of Bourbon, Canoga Park, CA Jim Shpall Applejack Liquors, Wheat Ridge, CO Hal Gershman Happy Harry's Bottle Shop, Grand Forks, ND Ron Junge Brown Derby Stores, Springfield, MO Ted Farrell Haskell's, Minneapolis, MN Burt Notarius Charles Sonnenberg Premier Liquors, Kemmore, NY Frugal MacDoogal's, Nashville, TN Beverage Dynamics is published by Specialty Information Media Editorial and executive offices at 17 High St., 2nd Fl., Norwalk, CT 06851 Telephone: (203) 855-8499 Fax: (203) 855-9446 Richard Brandes, Editor-in-Chief 6 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2013 E-mail: rbrandes@specialtyim.com