On-Premise Update: Key Shifts to Watch - NielsenIQ Quarterly Report

The latest NIQ on premise update highlights a beer category under pressure, with both value and volume declining over the past year. Dollar sales for beer fell by roughly 4%, while volume dropped more sharply, indicating that pricing has helped partially offset softer demand but not fully stabilize performance. In contrast, spirits and RTDs continue to capture share, supported by price-led growth and shifting consumer preferences. At the same time, consumer behavior data shows a clear tilt toward familiarity, with over half of surveyed consumers opting for brands they already know when trading up, underscoring the importance of brand equity in a more cautious spending environment .

Within beer, performance is uneven across segments and formats. Imports and domestic super premium are relatively more resilient, while categories like craft and hard seltzer are contributing to broader declines. Draft has gained share versus packaged, supported by stronger rate-of-sale, and non-alcoholic beer stands out as a rare growth segment, with improving velocity and regional strength in markets such as Washington and Colorado. Overall, the data points to a category that is not uniformly contracting, but instead fragmenting, where format, segment, and occasion are increasingly determining performance outcomes

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