Bud Light’s downward spiral has accelerated in the wake of Dillon Mulvaney’s defeat — and the carnage at Anheuser-Busch’s other mega-buck brands has begun, The Post has learned.
Bud Light’s nationwide retail sales were down 23.4% from a year earlier in the week ended April 29, according to Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ data — worse than a 21.4% decline the week before.
Meanwhile, as beer drinkers learn how many other beer brands fall under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella, the backlash is widening, according to the latest data.
The company’s flagship Budweiser brand reported a decline of 11.4% in sales for the week ended April 29. %, according to Bump Williams data.
“This isn’t just a Bud Light issue,” said Bump Williams, chief executive of the consultancy.
“Now it’s an Anheuser-Busch portfolio problem.”
Anheuser-Busch’s smaller U.S. brands also got dinged, with its Natural Light brand down 5.2% and its Busch Light down 1.8%.
The slump in sales is a painful hit to Bud’s flagship US beer business. Bud Light sales reached $4.8 billion last year, according to the Connecticut-based firm.
The Modelo Especial had $3.75 billion while the Michelob Ultra had sales of $3.3 billion.
Budweiser came in at number seven last year with sales of $1.83 billion.
Year-to-date, Bud Light and Budweiser are the only top 10 US beers whose sales have fallen, with declines of 3% and 0.4%, respectively.
According to industry data, Bud Light sales declined by 21% and 23%, respectively, during the last two weeks of April.
“If Bud Light doesn’t correct its trend by the end of this month, it will continue to lose market share as it loses Memorial Day. That kicks off summer,” Williams told The Post. “There must be a sense of urgency for InBev to correct these trends.”
This is the fourth consecutive week of double-digit sales declines linked to Anheuser-Busch’s brief marketing tie-up with transgender influencers, which began on April 1 when Mulvaney posted videos of himself sitting in a bubble bath drinking Bud Light .
“Anecdotally, we’re hearing that sales of Bud Light are declining sharply in bars and restaurants, where some consumers don’t want to be seen drinking it or argue about the brand,” said Benj Steinmann, editor of Beer Marketer Insights. Have been.” ,
Coors sales are on the rise thanks to the Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light partnership. Getty Images
Meanwhile, rival brewers are gaining market share at the expense of Bud Light. Coors Light and Miller Lite each saw sales growth of more than 20% in the week ending April 29 compared to a year earlier, according to data from Bump Williams and Nielsen.
Pabst Blue Ribbon was up 18.9% while Keystone Light saw a 15% bump over the same period.
The shocking collapse of the nation’s No. 1 beer, which is experiencing one of the most emotionally charged boycotts ever, shows no signs of letting up, even as Anheuser-Busch’s chief executive, Michel Doukeris tries to steer the company away from the ill-fated Mulvaney partnership.
“We need to get the facts clear that this one can do, one influencer, one post and not one campaign,” Doukeris told investors during an earnings call last week.
Dylan Mulvaney posted this video on his social media on April 1st. Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram These posts have ignited a national boycott against Bud Light. Dylan Mulvaney / Instagram
The company did not immediately respond for comment about the decline in sales.
Anheuser-Busch told distributors that an outside advertising agency was responsible for tapping Mulvaney to promote the Bud Light brand in the LGBTQ community, but declined to name the marketing firm.
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