The president & CEO of Molson Coors has echoed comments made last week by Anheuser-Busch InBev's CEO, claiming that US beer consumers are striving to make sense of the array of options in the craft beer space.
On a conference call following the release yesterday of the company's third-quarter and year-to-date results, Mark Hunter said beer drinkers in the country are having to deal with an "over-supply" of flavours, driven by the explosion of craft beer. US retailers, meanwhile, are starting to simplify their beer offerings.
"I think what you are starting to see," said Hunter, "is probably over-supply of flavours and SKUs... both retailers and consumers are trying to make sense of the plethora of choice." Hunter admitted that the craft segment has been good for the overall beer industry, "because it has driven conversations and interest in beer to probably an all-time high".