UPDATE:

Modelo Especial actually has sold more than 35 million cases overall.  The 13 million was for IRI data only so that only counts some of the accounts where the brand is sold.

Also, the overall growth rate is about 14% overall for the brand which is one of the largest growth rates among large beer brands.

Modelo Especial

• ·         Modelo Especial, the number three imported beer in the U.S., is the fastest growing brand within our portfolio by overall volume, and continues to outperform the industry.
• ·         Modelo Especial surpassed 35 million annual case depletions and set annual depletions record for the 20th straight year (Source: Crown Internal Depletions).
• ·         Modelo Especial solidified its position as the number three bestselling import beer brand, while establishing itself as the 14th largest beer brand in SIG rankings.
• ·         By June of 2012, Modelo Especial and Negra Modelo Draft will expand to 14 new states (from 27 to 41).

§ Gained more dollar share than any other brand in 2011 (Source: S-IRI)

§ Surpassed 35M annual case depletions and set an annual depletions record for the 20th straight year (Source: Crown internal depletions)

§ Depletion trends of +13.7% vs prior year outperformed the industry by approximately 16% and other imports by approximately 15% according to Beer Institute and Crown internal depletions data

§ Finished 2011 ranked #3 Import and surpassed Bud Light Lime to become the #14 overall beer brand in 2011 (Source: S-IRI)

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

(Chicago, IL) – Some PR folks representing Crown Imports, LLC, importers of Corona and a bunch of other beers, shot this news over to me this week.

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Modelo Especial was up nearly 20 percent in 2011. The storied brand delivered 13 million cases in 2011, the highest volume of absolute case growth of any Import brand – over 2 million in total*.

How did Modelo Especial stack up against its competition? Modelo Especial enjoyed the second largest overall share gain in 2011, right behind Coors Light. Modelo’s ‘model year’ was the result of strong performances both on and off-premise. The brand closed 2011 on-premise up 13 percent, 15.5 percentage points better than the total beer industry**. Modelo’s off-premise numbers followed suit, finishing the year up nearly 14 percent**. While other brands fell victim to the sluggish beer market, Modelo Especial solidified its position as the number three bestselling Import brand, while establishing itself as the 14 largest beer brand in SIG rankings. The success of Modelo Especial played a key role in Crown Imports success as a supplier in 2011. According to a January report in Beer Business Daily, Crown’s cases were up 7.2 percent and their dollars were up 8.3 percent.

Crown Imports credits Modelo Especial’s exponential sales growth to the increased focus on General and Hispanic Marketing campaigns. The campaigns resonated well with both the General and Hispanic market, contributing to increased brand recognition and sales.