Why liquor, why convenience stores
In March 2018 the company published a newsletter making one bet: that liquor was moving into convenience stores, and that the stores with screens would take the share. Two articles, both reproduced here.
Newsletter · March 2018
“The ‘Next Big Thing’ For Liquor”
Regulatory and demographic shifts signal an opportunity for liquor sales in c-stores.
The opening claim: “In certain regions of the US, regulatory changes are prompting increased foot traffic as consumers are now able to buy more types of alcoholic beverages in the convenience channel.”
The data it cited
Credited at the end to NACS Magazine, March 2016 — two years old when the company republished it.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Spirits case sales growth, c-store channel | +15.9% |
| Sparkling wine case sales growth | +13.4% |
| Table wine case sales growth | +7.1% |
| Beer sold by c-stores alone | $16.7bn |
| Share of all retail beer sales | 59% |
| Whiskey / tequila / vodka growth | +11% / +10% / +5% |
Figures from IRI and the NACS State of the Industry Report (2014 data), as cited by the company.
Why the store wins
Three advantages, quoted as published — including the company's own typo: convenience stores “have the advantages of being (1) open longer hours, (2) stocking top sellers and (3) storing the products in cold environments (e.g., beer caves).”
None of that is about advertising. The argument is that the channel was already winning on access and assortment, and that a screen decides which brand gets picked once the customer is inside.
Who it said was buying
- Brown-Forman“Spirits as an adult beverage rank higher with legal-purchase-age Millennials than with Gen X, Boomers or the Silent generation.”
- Brown-Forman“For Millennials and their key spirit consumption occasions, the c-store channel fits the bill as a destination.”
- Beam Suntory“whiskey is the strongest driver”
The only named individual in the whole surviving archive is quoted here: Matt Deegan, Senior Vice President of Sales at Constellation Brands — “Millennials have money to spend, and spirits are a strong preference.”
What else was in the newsletter
The same issue carried the detailed write-up of the New Amsterdam Vodka test — 8 weeks, 41 stores, a :15 spot at 21 airings an hour, and the month-by-month lift.
The full case studyNeither article carries a byline, and the newsletter has no masthead. The reconstruction attributes them to the company rather than to any individual.
The archive
Two articles, one month
The “Industry News” section held exactly two pieces, both dated March 2018, plus an email signup. No third was ever published.
No byline
Neither piece names an author. The market article credits NACS Magazine; the campaign article credits nobody for its own numbers.
Two-year-old data
The market figures came from a March 2016 issue and were presented in 2018 without a date warning. The source credit is there; the gap is not.
An email list
The section carried a signup form — “Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates”. Whether it was ever sent again is unknown.
Who published it
The company, its founders, and where it stands today.