
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) released the Beer Purchasers' Index (BPI) for February 2021. The FMB/seltzer segment remains in expansion, while craft beer continues to contract.
The February 2021 BPI saw a solid increase to 70 compared to the February 2020 reading of 64.
The “at-risk inventory" (inventory at risk of going out of code in the next 30 days) continues to inch up from its all-time low readings over the summer and fall, and it now stands at 42 with distributor inventories almost recovered.
NBWA Chief Economist Lester Jones explained, "The timing of this month’s BPI survey against the extreme winter weather may prove a challenging when it comes to interpreting this month’s results."
BPI is the only forward-looking indicator for distributors to measure expected beer demand. The index surveys beer distributors’ purchases across different segments and compares them to previous years. A reading greater than 50 indicates the segment is expanding, while a reading below 50 indicates the segment is contracting.
Looking across the segments for February:
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The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents America’s 3,000 independent beer distributors who service every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Licensed at the federal and state levels, beer distributors get bottles, cans, cases and kegs from a brewer or importer to stores, restaurants and other licensed retail accounts through a transparent and accountable regulatory system. Distributors build brands of all sizes – from familiar domestic beers to new startup labels and imports from around the world – and generate enormous consumer choice while supporting more than 140,000 quality jobs in their home communities. Beer distributors work locally to keep communities safe by sponsoring programs to promote responsible consumption, combat drunk driving and reduce underage drinking.