Miller “Outperforms Strongly” in Supers, Analysts Say

Could set stage for strong second half

Miller Brewing Company’s strong performance in supermarkets was called out by the London-based analysts of Dresdner Kleinwort.

“Miller outperforms strongly” was the call out in a report that looks at Nielsen supermarket data for the four weeks ended Aug. 11.

While industry dollar sales rose 2.8 percent, Miller’s increased 8.5 percent, the report noted. Anheuser-Busch, meanwhile, saw dollar sales slip by 0.1 percent.

The report attributed Miller’s performance to price increases, strong performance by the worthmore segment, and improved trends on “main brands” Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft.

“If Miller can sustain this price/mix performance, the company is likely to achieve a particular strong performance in the (second half of the year), given the low margin in the same period of last year,” the report said.