Meijer toasts craft beer growth
Twenty years after carrying its first craft brew at a single Kalamazoo store, Meijer is selling more than 34 locally-brewed craft beers each minute in Michigan while continuing to add up-and-coming local breweries to an extensive selection that rivals specialty stores across the Midwest.
Meijer says it expects to continue five years of double-digit volume growth in craft beer sales and plans to sell more than $90 million in craft beer in 2016, including $30 million in local and hyper-local craft beers produced by breweries in Michigan.
Building on the popularity of local breweries that account for 44% of all craft beer sold in Michigan, Meijer will carry IPAs, Amber Ales, Stouts, and Porters from 50 Michigan breweries and also expand the reach of six of the most popular local brands in the state at stores across its Midwestern footprint this year.
"What's happening here in Michigan is a microcosm of what's happening throughout the Midwest and across the country – the state of craft beer is thriving," said Peter Whitsett, executive VP of merchandising and marketing for Meijer, who notes that since 2010 the number of craft breweries Meijer carries and the space it provides for its selection has more than doubled.
The six breweries that will be featured in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin in 2016 include Bell's Brewery, Founders Brewing Company, Short's Brewing Company, New Holland Brewing Company, Atwater Brewery and Arcadia Brewing Company.
Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 223 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
