- Three-month sales decline 4.4% to US$433.9m
- Volumes in the quarter to the end of March down 6.9%
The sales declines recorded in the second half of last year have continued into this for The Boston Beer Co, as the first quarter finished down.
The Samuel Smiths beer and Truly RTD owner, which booked a 2.4% fall in sales from 2025, said late yesterday (30 April) that its top line came in down by almost 4.5% in the first quarter of this year. The performance marks the third consecutive quarter of declining sales, kicked off by an 11.2% tumble in the third quarter of last year.
The headline grounds given by Boston Beer for the latest dip centred around what it called “difficult comparisons as distributors built inventories for [vodka & iced tea RTD] Sun Cruiser and Truly Unruly in the first quarter of 2025”. The company also said it has become a victim of its own success, as a focus on improving its supply chain’s responsiveness to demand has resulted in “modestly lower overall distribution inventory levels”.
Brands-wise, the company, which only operates in the US, noted depletion declines of unspecified sizes for Hard Mountain Dew, Samuel Adams, Truly and Twisted Tea, while Angry Orchard, Dogfish Head and Sun Cruiser enjoyed a more prosperous – but again unspecified – quarter.
“We were encouraged by early signs of improvement in the total beer category in the first quarter,” said founder & CEO Jim Koch. “While our depletions improved and it remains early in the year, our portfolio has not yet fully matched the improvement in category trends.
“The operating environment is dynamic, and we are executing with focus against our summer plans, including meaningful advertising support.”
In March, Boston Beer secured ‘official ready-to-drink cocktail’ status for Sun Cruiser with the US Open and US Women’s Open golf tournaments, both of which take place next month.
