New York leads US on-trade sales

On-trade sales velocity in five US states increased by 20% in the week ending 21 January 2023, compared with the same period last year, according to new data.

CGA by Nielsen IQ’s Beverage Trak data has also discovered the figure outpaces pre-Covid levels, when compared to the same week in 2020.

The boost is driven by an uptick in visitation levels and check values, according to the data analyst.

Andrew Hummel, CGA by Nielsen IQ’s client solutions director – North America, said: “While the festive season saw consumers flock to the on-premise, it’s clear that the channel is continuing to perform strongly as we move further into 2023, with both ticket count and check value up versus last year and pre-pandemic levels (February 2020).

“With key occasions such as Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl on the horizon, drinks suppliers should be considering how to capitalise on how consumers will behave – with key shifts across category consumption, choice of venue, and spend.”

The statistics tie in with CGA’s discovery that US consumers plan to prioritise on-premise spend over the next three months, despite growing cost-of-living concerns.

Five ‘key’ US states were taken into account for the research: New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and California.

Across all these states, New York saw the biggest sales velocity increases at 45%, comparing the week beginning January 21 2023 with the same week in 2022.

Illinois saw a 28% boost, while California followed this with a sales velocity hike of 24%.

Meanwhile, Texas saw an 8% boost and Florida a 7% increase.

In December 2022, CGA’s Cocktail Sales Tracker by Nielsen IQ revealed that the Espresso Martini has made it into the top 10 most popular cocktails in the US on-trade.

US consumers were also recently found to have made an in-store purchase of a drinks brand they first tried in a bar or restaurant.