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Beer trends in the convenience channel worsened so far this yr, $$ -3% YTD thru May 16 in NIQ-tracked c-stores, a half-pt steeper than decline in 2025, Bump Williams Consulting showed in monthly client letter this morn. That's far slower than beer's flattish trend in c-stores in 2024 and 5% gain in the channel in 2023, BWC emphasized. It's also in clear contrast to other channels where declines slowed so far this yr. And tho the deceleration had already started early in the yr, it got far worse after gas prices jumped in early March. For the 10 wks prior to the spike thru 3/7, beer volume was already down 3.6% in c-stores. But for the 10 wks since then, thru 5/16, volume dropped 6.2%. Beer sales in grocery weren't immune to the shift either as BWC spotted a "similar phenomenon" there: cases -1.3% for 10 wks to 3/7 and -3.5% for 10 wks to 5/16.RTDs Not Big Enough in Convenience to Offset Beer Losses Still, all eyes on c-stores and how the category and broader alc bev universe can steady itself amid these external pressures. Unfortunately for c-stores, growth category of wine & spirits RTDs ain't always allowed to be sold in the channel and large single-serve pack sizes not yet broadly available. So growth of RTDs does not offset declines of beer in c-stores so far this yr, as beer + wine & spirits RTDs still collectively down 1.5% by $$, a bit worse than the 0.9% decline posted in 2025. Last yr, it was already becoming "crystal clear" that folks were trading a 12 pk for filling up the tank to get to work, BWC wrote citing a brief survey.Singles Gain Across Segments Yet single-serves were "still in the budget," then, which is happening "to an even greater degree" this yr, per BWC. Singles are outperforming across almost all segments YTD. Premium and below premium singles are off 2-3% thru 5/16 in c-stores, but the pack size is up everywhere else. Super premium singles ticked up +2.2%, while import singles grew 4.5%, craft +6%, seltzer +6.5% and cider +23%.And tho super premium grew the slowest in singles, it's the only segment with growth in all pack sizes in c-stores, BWC showed, including struggling 6-12 pks, +0.3%, where cider was the only other segment to grow (+3.3%). Super premium also up 4.4% in packs of 24 or more, a pack size generally seeing declines in c-stores, tho far healthier in grocery. Cases and bigger packs of below premium beer grew 1.8% in grocery YTD, with large packs of imports +5.2%, super premium +6.5% and seltzer up 16.3%. Note that singles also strong in supers: super premium and FMB singles up about 1%, craft +5%, import +8%, seltzer +9%, and cider +10%.Singles Dominate Top 20 Growth SKUs in C-Stores: Classics, New & Flavor Of the top 20 growth SKUs in c-stores YTD, 12 are single serves, including 6 of the top 10 and all of the top 4, BWC shows. And tho there's plenty of innovation and flavored brands on the list, it's led by a classic: Corona Familiar 32oz bottles, up 7.8% by $$ thru May 16. Twisted Tea Extreme Lemon 24/25oz cans nearly doubled at #2, ahead of new Four Loko Jackpot 24/25oz cans that clock in at a big 13.9% ABV. At #4, Pacifico 32oz bottles flew +49%. Basically all incremental 16oz cans of Heineken rank #8, just ahead of new 11% ABV Voodoo Ranger G Force 19.2s.Also in the top 10 are some more standard pack sizes: 12ers of the viral Busch Light Apple, which more than doubled; Pacifico 12oz can 12 pks, +28%; and Modelo Especial cases, +7.7%. The 16oz 12 pks of Mich Ultra round out the top 10, +38%. Among the top 20: Bapple 30 pks, Pacifico bottled 12ers and Busch Lt 16oz 12 pks. Most other single serves getting the biggest $$ growth in c-stores so far this yr are seltzers or FMBs, like Mike's Harder pink lemonade and blue raspberry, plus a trio of White Claws (blueberry and grape Surge and standard peach). Large cans (24/25oz) of Modelo Especial and new higher-ABV mango-flavored Modelo Chelada also make the cut.

C-Store Trends Worsened as Gas Prices Spiked, BWC Shows; Strong Gains for Singles Across Segments

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