Modelo Especial widens sales gap over Bud Light in wake of Dylan Mulvaney fiasco
Modelo Especial, the nation’s new king of beers, continued to outsell Bud Light after its disastrous tie-up with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, according to the latest data.
The Mexican beer widened its lead in year-to-date sales over Bud Light, accounting for 8.4% of beer sales in stores through Aug. 19, compared to Bud Light’s 8.2% share, Bump Williams Consulting and NielsonIQ reported Monday.
“More consumers are buying Modelo more frequently and in greater quantities before the summer ends,” Williams, the head of the consultancy, told The Post on Monday.
Retailers have been devoting “more shelf space” to Modelo Especial to cash in on its surge in popularity, added Williams.
Last week, Modelo surpassed Bud Light in year-to-date sales to end the Anheuser-Busch brand’s two-decade rein as the top-selling beer in the US.
Modelo had an 8.34% share of the market, compared to Bud Light’s 8.28% through Aug. 12, according to a NielsonIQ report.
The Mexican beer, which is distributed in the US by Costellation Brands, has consistently beaten Bud Light in monthly sales since May — after unprecedented outrage over the company tapping Mulvaney on April 1 to promote the brand.
A national boycott of Bud Light has shown no signs of abating.
On a weekly basis sales of Bud Light declined by 26.8% through Aug. 19 while sales of Modelo Especial over the same period grew by 15.9%.
Other non-Anheuser-Busch related brands are also stealing market share, including Miller Lite, which saw 18.5% growth in sales, Coors Light with 21.6% growth and Yuengling Lager with 19.7% increase for the week ended Aug. 19, according to the data.
Meanwhile, Budweiser sales have been hurt by the controversy, declining 10.3% over the same period. Michelob Ultra – another Anheuser-Busch brand – has seen some improvement with a 0.4% increase in sales in the week-long period.
Earlier this month, Anheuser-Busch InBev – the Belgian-based parent of the brewery – reported a 10.5% drop in revenue and nearly 30% decrease in profit in the second quarter, according to the company.
