Bud Light has lost its spot as the No.-1 selling U.S. beer.
Bud Light represented 7.3% of U.S. retail-store beer sales in the four weeks ending June 3 compared to 8.4% for Mexican lager Modelo Especial, according to an analysis of Nielsen data from consulting firm Bump Williams. The findings were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Dave Williams, vice president of consumer insights and analytics at Bump Williams, called the switch “a pretty big deal” but noted that Bud Light continues to outrank Modelo in volume sales and remains the top-ranking beer brand based on dollar sales year-to-date.
“There’s a lot of volume from Bud Light still moving out there. The number of cases being moved surpasses any other brand,” Williams said. But unless “something drastic” occurs, he expects the decline in Bud Light sales will continue through “at least the summer” as Modelo and other domestic lagers continue to see gains.
The shift comes as Bud Light faces a consumer boycott fueled by rage over the company’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Why is Bud Light being boycotted?
Bump Williams’ analysis looked at beer sales among off-premise outlets, which include grocery and liquor stores. It does not include bars, restaurants, venues or sporting arenas, where drinks are consumed on-site.
The data showed Bud Light dollar sales have been dropping since April in the aftermath of the beer brand’s marketing partnership with Mulvaney.
Some consumers called for a boycott after the influencer posted a video in early April promoting a Bud Light giveaway in which she showed an image of a personalized can with her face on it.
Other brands, including Target, have also come under fire in recent months for supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
What is the #1 selling beer in America?
Williams noted that the sales dip is mostly focused on Bud Light. Similar beers owned by Anheuser-Busch like Busch Light, Natural Light and Michelob Ultra have also “slowed down a bit,” Williams said, but “we are seeing some of those brands start to stabilize and climb back to the positive side of breakeven from a dollar standpoint.”
Meanwhile, Modelo’s performance has been on the rise for years under Constellation Brands, which in 2013 acquired the brand in the U.S. market from Anheuser-Busch’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev. AB InBev continues to own the brand in markets outside of the U.S.
“Modelo’s performance is not a surprise,” Williams said. “That’s a brand that’s been on the rise for years now, and has been slowly climbing the ladder of beer.”
A statement from Constellation spokesperson Maggie Bowman noted that it has more than doubled Modelo’s sales volume since 2017.
“We continue to see runway for growth as we introduce Modelo to new consumers,” Bowman said in an emailed statement.
When asked for comment, Anheuser-Busch sent a statement noting that it remains the top beer brand in the U.S. in volume and dollar sales for the year.
Is Anheuser-Busch stock down?
AB InBev’s share price has dipped about 15% since the end of March, while Constellation’s has jumped roughly 10%.
“If current trends were to continue at their most recent pace, then there is a chance that Modelo could surpass Bud Light” as the No. 1 beer brand by dollar sales at the end of the year, Williams said. “But there is still a lot of ground to cover before we hit that point.”
