Whiskey, Vodka And Tequila Drive Beam In First Half, But Skinnygirl Slips
August 8, 2013Beam Inc. said strong growth across its whiskey portfolio and solid performances by Pinnacle vodka and Sauza Tequila helped drive a 14% rise in its North American sales to $771 million in the first half of 2013 (organically sales were up 7%), despite a marked slowdown in its Skinnygirl franchise. Globally, Beam’s sales were up 8% to $1.2 billion for the half-year.
Jim Beam (+4%), Maker’s Mark (+18%), Sauza (+5%), Pinnacle (+13%), Canadian Club (+17%), Laphroaig (+13%), Knob Creek (+16%), Basil Hayden’s (+34%), Cruzan (+10%) and Hornitos (+12%) all posted net global sales gains in the first half, while Courvoisier (-10%), Teacher’s (-17%), Kilbeggan (-26%), Skinnygirl (-23%) and Sourz (-11%) declined.
Beam CEO Matt Shattock said demand for the Jim Beam brand was buttressed by recent innovations like Jim Beam Honey and Devil’s Cut, adding that the group “gained share in Tequila on strong performance for Sauza and Hornitos, and in vodka as Pinnacle continued its double-digit growth trajectory. At the same time, our total sales growth was tempered by soft conditions in the U.S. ready-to-serve cocktails category.” Shattock also warned that “distributor inventory build” in the second quarter will impact Beam’s third quarter shipments, but that he anticipated a robust finish to the year on the back of the continuing growth of the Bourbon sector.
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