US on-trade spirits sales near pre-Covid levels
Spirits volumes have now reached 93% of the pre-Covid levels of 2019-20, according to CGA by NIQ’s latest On Premise Measurement (OPM) research.
The OPM tool tracks trends in US bars and restaurants, and measures sales during the past 12 months.
As well as observing the bounceback of spirits sales, the most recent report discovered average menu prices have risen by 25% since 2019.
Beer and wine have failed to recover as robustly as spirits however, with those categories being at 83% and 66% of their pre-Covid levels respectively.
CGA by NIQ revealed that spirits sales were powered by Tequila, which has added share in most key states. It was the number-one category by volume in the past 12 months.
The ready-to-drink (RTD) category also impressed as the fastest-growing segment in the on-trade. It added 0.4 percentage points to its share of sales value in the 12 months to the end of March.
The RTD category’s gains came at the expense of general spirits and wine, which lost 0.3 and 0.2 percentage points of share. This continues a trend first noted in 2024.
CGA by NIQ said RTD growth was influenced by consumers’ desire for convenience and portability, in particular in nightclubs and bars, where its share has jumped by 0.7 and 0.5 percentage points.
Matthew Crompton, CGA by NIQ’s vice-president for Americas – on-premise, said: “This fascinating snapshot of on-premise trends shows that while total Bev Al [beverage alcohol] volumes are still some way off pre-Covid levels, trends in high-priced segments give grounds for optimism for the rest of 2025 and beyond.
“Interest in premium and imported beer brands and Tequila-based drinks suggests many guests are chasing new and different options, while interest in sparkling wine is a welcome sign of an uplift in celebratory occasions.
“More change is certain, and amid so much economic uncertainty, all suppliers and operators need to stay hyper-alert to the very latest trends in order to seize opportunities to gain sales and share.”
In the January issue of The Spirits Business, we looked at which categories were driving growth in the RTD sector.
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