New Nielsen Scanner Data Shows CSDs Continue Slow Decline

Ray Latif Sep. 17, 2012 at 3:09 pm

As sales of carbonated beverages continue to tumble, manufacturers remain aggressive in pricing, according to new Nielsen scanner data, supplied by Bonnie Herzog, the managing director of beverage, tobacco and consumer research for Wells Fargo Securities. The scanner data was culled from Nielsen’s new AOC (All Outlets Combined) database, which, in addition to sales information from grocery, drug and mass merchant channels, now includes data from a broader range of retailers and channels including Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, dollar stores and military outlets.

In a year-over-year comparison for the four week period ending on September 1, 2012, carbonated beverages sagged by 2.4 percent in sales and declined by 4.8 percent in volume, numbers partially offset by an overall increase of 2.5 percent in prices. Non-carbonated segments boosted revenue for the industry as a whole, led by increases in ready-to-drink tea (up 5.1 percent in sales), refrigerated juices (up 3.1 percent) and sports drinks (up 0.2 percent).

Although a few key retailers, including Costco and Whole Foods, do not provide Nielsen with sales data, the market research firm now captures information from close to 90 percent of the U.S. retail market in AOC-covered channels.