White label brands are starting to dominate the craft beer offering at one of the country's major retailers, according to a new post on the Beer Reflections site. The article is the third in a series titled "Who Owns My Beer?", which has been documenting the changing face of beers on offer in BWS.
The latest edition finds that beers produced by Pinnacle Drinks for Endeavour Group (Dan Murphy's and BWS) continuing to proliferate, now outnumbering those from the craft brands of CUB/Asahi and Lion/Kirin, with the percentage of beers from indie brewers also falling.
You can read more in the media release below, or head straight to Pillar To Post here. The Crafty Pint's regularly updated guide to ownership in the craft beer space is here.
Media Release: “Who Owns My Beer? – From Pillar to Post"
An analysis of brands in a big retailer bottle shop.
In the latest instalment of the "Who Owns My Beer?" series, Daniel Ridd, blogger at Beer Reflections, looks at the makeup of breweries and brands available in one of Australia’s largest bottle shop chains, BWS.
From Pillar to Post recaps the state of Australia's craft beer industry and challenges that have brought its historically healthy growth to a near standstill.
Endeavour Drinks Group's Pinnacle Drinks, which has seen significant growth in its craft beer presence, now dominates over traditional big players CUB and Lion, who are in their own tussle for dominance, with one clearly outperforming the other.
Craft beer 'collectives' like Mighty Craft, Good Drinks Australia, and Tribe, once accounting for 8.5% of craft beer offerings, have witnessed a significant decline, showing that collaboration and consolidation may not be the safe haven some expected.
Independently owned breweries are facing challenges also. Their share of the craft beer fridge has decreased from 56% in 2020 to 38% in 2023. Notable absences and declines in representation raise questions about the future of indie breweries.
The Beer Reflections story delves into the frequently asked questions about white-labelled or faux-craft brands. These questions revolve around fair competition, whether retailer claims of supporting local producers are disingenuous, the ethics of packaging that imitates pioneering independent brands, and whether independent breweries that brew retailer-owned brands under contract are complicit in the rising threat.
The analysis is supported by Bottle Shop Beer Stats, a custom-built website with all supporting data and interactive charts to visualise the state of play.
For media inquiries, visit the contact form on the Beer Reflections website.
