Where's the Next Disruptor (or Differentiator) for Beverage Alcohol as Soft Sales Persist?
It's been a talking point for beverage alcohol brands as well as retailers of the product: Booze sales are down across the board, according to NielsenIQ (NIQ) data, with all channels reporting dollar sales downturns in 2025.
As Kathleen Furore detailed in a Convenience Store News report, consumers are increasingly curbing their overall drinking while also turning to premium brands and experimenting with new flavors when they do decide to partake. Furore quoted Kaleigh Theriault, beverage alcohol thought leader for NIQ, on the subject.
"When shopping, people are seeking convenient locations, cold products for same-day consumption, and the ease of quick in-and-out of the store. Many shoppers continue to be time-starved. That's where the convenience channel wins," Theriault said, adding that the former disruptor of ready-to-drink beverages had solidified into a segment mainstay.
"[Ready-to-drink beverages are] permanent pillars of beverage alcohol, not disruptive outliers... Ready-to-drink products are especially important in the cold box, especially where spirits-based and wine-based [products] can legally be sold," she added.
🇺🇸📉 NIQ: July 4 lifted bev-alc sales 19.9% WoW, but latest 4-week scans stayed red: dollars -3% YoY, volume -4.9%. Beer eased; craft worsened. https://t.co/Xsej5AkRea pic.twitter.com/2olzri0jOS
— Brewbound (@Brewbound) July 14, 2026
Other important notes pulled from the report:
- Wine sees particular strength in RTD: Despite off-premise wine sales being softer than usual, down 4.9% in 2025 versus 2024, the convenience segment saw an uptick of 10.5% largely boosted by RTD options.
- Premiumization doesn't mean larger formats: Theriault underscored the fact that smaller formats, alongside single-serve products, were actually winners in the space, particularly given the continuing emphasis on value being exhibited by consumers.
- Speaking of singles: Singles represent "our largest dollar-growth driver year over year," said Rutter's category manager Cameron Baer. "Alongside strong case-pack sales, we've adjusted our assortment and space allocation to reflect how quickly the singles segment is growing in today's alcohol beverage marketplace."
The final word of advice offered by Theriault for c-store retailers looking to best navigate the current market in beverage alcohol was agility -- making sure that new products were tested quickly and efficiently for shopper response, separating winners from losers in a crowded segment.