A Convenient Approach: How Breweries Are Building Brands in Convenience Stores | First Key Consulting

Craft beer sales in convenience stores, in particular 19.2-ounce cans of bold and boozy beer, are a bright light in the beleaguered brewing industry. Onsite brewery sales dipped 6 percent in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Brewers Association, while grocery store dollar sales declined 2.5 percent year to date as of late April, according to Circana. By comparison, craft beer dollar sales at convenience stores, which is historically underdeveloped for craft beer, increased around half a percent, helping buoy bottom lines.

“This 19.2-ounce vessel and single-serve size is a category driver,” says Evan Woolard, the senior brand manager for SweetWater Brewing, which targeted c-stores with this year’s release of G13 Dank Double Hazy IPA. “If you’re not embracing what you can do with 19.2-ounce cans, you’re missing out.”

For First Key, I look at why folks are buying beers at convenience stores.