Molson Coors now the top gainer in grocery beer displays

From Molson Coors & Nick Kindelsperger,

Molson Coors’ impressive shelf gains are now well known. But the positive news in off-premise accounts isn’t over. Molson Coors’ core brands of Coors Light, Miller Lite and Coors Banquet also picked up display space over the past month. 

Average weekly displays for the three brands are all up, with Miller Lite up 4.2%, Coors Banquet up 5.5% and Coors Light up 9.0%, according to Circana data for the four weeks ending April 7 compared to the previous year. 

“This makes us the top gainer for beer displays over the past month,” says Russell Fowler, senior manager of customer solutions. “Plus, what we’re seeing is that display activity for those core brands is actually accelerating. This gives us momentum going into the peak summer season.” 

The gains come as Molson Coors pushed major retail programs that had display tools to match, including its multi-brand display for football’s big game, Coors Light’s Chill Train campaign and its “Don’t Let Your Bracket Break You” college basketball tools. Meanwhile, Miller Lite has introduced its revamped All Stars campaign, while Coors Banquet’s successful “Start Your Legacy” campaign is back for the second year.

According to Fowler, displays in grocery stores are instrumental in driving growth, especially as summer approaches. 

“The right displays play an important role in driving category growth. They create awareness for the category and that can drive real-time purchasing decisions, and that helps generate incremental revenue,” he says.

Fowler credits two reasons for the increase in displays: demand and execution.  

“There’s just more demand for our brands,” he says. “In grocery, Coors Light is now the No. 1 brand in volume, and Miller Lite is now bigger than Bud Light.”  

According to Circana, for the four weeks ending April 7 in grocery, Molson Coors’ three core brands have grown volume share. Molson Coors’ three core brands are also up in volume and dollar share for the last 13 weeks ending April 7, according to Circana multi-outlet and convenience store data. 

Molson Coors is also seeing an increase in features in off-premise accounts. 

“Anytime off-premise accounts feature our beer, either in printed circulars or digitally on an app, we track all of those as well,” says Fowler. “Features and displays often go hand in hand.” 

March also saw Coors Light and Miller Lite launch major campaigns tied to professional and college sports. 

Coors Light unveiled a series of college basketball-themed campaigns, including a partnership with ESPN. Miller Lite relaunched the Miller Lite All Stars, the classic ad campaign that helped put it on the map in the 1970s.  

With the busy summer selling season approaching, Fowler sees everything coming together to continue the momentum Molson Coors’ brands have continued to experience. 

“We’re gaining distribution on our core brands,” he says. “We’re gaining shelf space at retail. That explains why our display activity has momentum.”