A-B Pricing Soft Going into the Summer?

Brewer lags Miller, Coors on pricing in supers during Memorial Day period.

Ever since Anheuser-Busch reset prices to fend off gains by Miller Lite, a big question has been whether A-B would again resort to pricing action to boost volume and share.

That question appears worth revisiting in wake of the Memorial Day.

During the two weeks ended June 2, A-B’s Budweiser franchise significantly lagged Miller Lite and Coors Light on pricing in supermarkets, according to beer sales statistics from Nielsen. During the period, Miller Lite’s weighted average case price was up 2.1 percent and Coors Light’s was up 2.8 percent.

The average weighted case prices for Budweiser and Bud Light, meanwhile, were practically flat, up only 0.7 percent. Bud Select was up only 0.8 percent.

Likely helped by soft pricing -- not to mention near-record levels of promotional execution and exceptional feature and display activity -- Bud Light “won” the two-week holiday period. A-B, despite concerns it’s getting distracted by new initiatives, clearly knows how to “stack ‘em high and watch ‘em fly.”

Bud Light gained nine-tenths of a point of case share during the period, according to Nielsen. Its dollar share increased by four tenths of a point of share.

Coors Light gained a tenth of a point.

Miller Lite lost a tenth of a point of case share in supermarkets. During the four weeks ended June 2, it gained a tenth of a point of share in supermarkets, however.

Miller’s share loss was driven by declines in a few key markets. Miller recorded share gains in most of its measured markets.

Despite the soft supermarket performance during the Memorial Day period, Miller’s total business -- including Miller Lite -- was up during the month of May.