Bud Light falls from No. 1 US sales spot for first time in more than 20 years

Sarah Fortinsky
·2 min read
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Bud Light last month fell from its spot as the top-selling beer brand in the U.S. for the first time in more than two decades amid the ongoing fallout among conservatives over its partnership with a transgender influencer.

According to a new analysis of Nielsen data by Bump Williams Consulting, Bud Light’s sales fell in the month ending June 3, outpaced by Mexican beer Modelo Especial. Modelo controlled 8.4 percent of grocery, convenience and liquor store sales, while Bud Light fell to 7.3 percent, The Associated Press reported.

Bud Light sales have declined since early April, when the brand faced fierce conservative backlash to an Instagram ad that featured trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney posing with a personalized Bud Light can. Republicans accused the beer of pushing a pro-LGBTQ agenda, while some Mulvaney supporters were angry the brand did not do more to support her.

Bump Williams’s vice president of analytics and insights, Dave Williams, told the AP that Bud Light had been the top beer since 2001, and he predicted it still could be.

Total sales in 2023 still place Bud Light as the highest-selling beer brand, despite its low numbers in May, with Bud Light at 9 percent of sales and Modelo at 8 percent, the AP reported.

The AP reported that Modelo sales, however, have been increasing every week by double-digit percentages. Bud Light retail sales, which do not include sales at bars and restaurants, were down 24 percent in the week ending June 3, and Modelo Especial sales were up 12 percent.

A Washington Post analysis suggests Mexican beers in general have been on the rise in the United States recently. Currently, about 80 percent of U.S. beer imports come from Mexico, which the Post indicated was a 17 percent increase from the early 1990s.

Scott Scanlon, executive vice president at consulting firm Circana, told the AP that Modelo is already the top seller in Los Angeles and Chicago, and he predicted more growth on the East Coast.

“Modelo was going to become the No. 1 beer brand. It was destiny because the growth numbers we are seeing and have been seeing are astonishing,” Scanlon said. “The only question was time.”

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