Bud Light sales slump as Modelo takes top spot
Bud Light sales were down over 24% for the week ending June 3 compared to a year ago, according to the data
Bud Light debacle helped double PublicSq. membership base: CEO Michael Seifert
PublicSq. founder and CEO Michael Seifert discusses his patriotic marketplace designed to connect consumers to American brands that represent their values on The Big Money Show.
The backlash against the Bud Light brand over the Dylan Mulvaney controversy is lingering and sales of the beer continue to slide.
NiselsenIQ data provided to FOX Business by Bump Williams Consulting showed that for the week ending June 3, Bud Light sales were down 24.4% compared to a year ago. Over the last four weeks ending June 3, the data showed Bud Light sales were down 24.6% relative to the same period last year.
Modelo Especial has passed Bud Light as the #1 Selling Beer Brand on a dollar basis for the four week and single week period ending June 3.
Meanwhile, sales of Coors Light increased by 25.8% and Miller Lite rose by 21.4% over the same period.
The sales slump began after Anheuser-Busch InBev – the parent company of Budweiser and Bud Light – sent personalized Bud Light cans to a number of social media influencers including transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, who identifies as female.
KIRK CAMERON RIPS BUD LIGHT FOR ITS MARKETING MISSTEPS: ‘NEVER BETRAY YOUR AUDIENCE’
Bud Light sales remained down over 24% for the week ending June 3 as the fallout continues from the Dylan Mulvaney controversy. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
On April 1, when Mulvaney’s post with the personalized can went viral, many came to assume the cans were being sold in stores despite the fact that those cans were only sent to the individuals they depicted and weren’t available on store shelves.
Nonetheless, some Bud Light consumers opted to boycott the brand and other Anheuser-Busch products in response, prompting a decline in sales that is yet to rebound.
The controversy involving Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney has sparked a backlash against the brand with sales declining and consumers expressing their angst, such as with this sign disparaging Bud Light beer on April 21, 2023, in Arco, Idaho. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images / Getty Images)
BUD LIGHT PARENT ANHEUSER-BUSCH TO HELP DISTRIBUTORS AMID MULVANEY CONTROVERSY
Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of AB InBev’s North American business, wrote in a statement on April 14 in the midst of the controversy, "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."
Anheuser-Busch InBev has seen its stock price and market cap decline by roughly 17% from its March highs as of Tuesday night. The backlash has spilled over to other Anheuser-Busch brands as well and created an opportunity for other beer brands to increase their sales.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUD | ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV | 59.71 | +0.69 | +1.17% |
| TAP | MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE CO. | 57.85 | +0.05 | +0.09% |
BUD LIGHT PARENT ANHEUSER-BUSCH SEES $27 BILLION, SHARES NEAR BEAR MARKET
Budweiser sales were down 9.2% during the week ending June 3 compared to a year, while Busch Light was down 0.8% per the Nielsen data analyzed by Bump Williams Consulting.
The spillover was discussed by AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris during a May interview with the Wall Street Journal in which he said, "We are investing behind Bud Light tripling our need investment for the summer, and we are investing more together with our wholesalers in our local markets."
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told FOX Business in a statement, "For the year, Bud Light remains the #1 brand in the US nationally in volume and dollar sales."