DB InBev recorded a drop in beer sales in the fourth quarter of 2023 in Mexico affected by Acapulco.
In that tourist city, hurricane Otis made landfall on October 25, 2023, where it reached category 5, with maximum sustained winds of over 250 km/h (155 mph).
AB InBev indicated that its volumes decreased slightly in Mexico, in line with the industry.
“Fourth quarter 2023 volumes were primarily impacted by adverse weather in the Acapulco region,” the company said.
Throughout 2023, the company’s core portfolio continued to outperform expectations, achieving low-single-digit volume growth.
For one, the company continued to advance its digital efforts through its DTC platform, TaDa, which operates in more than 60 key cities with more than 90,000 monthly active users.
In addition, the company continued to explore and expand additional services through the BEES platform.
In this context, services such as Vendo facilitated more than 650,000 transactions for digital service payments and mobile data purchases in 2023.
BEES Marketplace also contributed to this growth.
Beer sales
In Colombia, the company’s volumes grew in the low single digits.
Driven by the continued implementation of its category expansion strategies, the beer category continued to grow.
In fact, it achieved a 70 basis point share of total alcohol in 2023, with volumes reaching a new record high.
The core portfolio stood out in 2023, with a particularly strong performance from Poker, whose volumes increased by high single digits.
At the same time, in Peru, volumes declined by low single digits, although they outperformed a declining industry.
In Ecuador, volumes also declined in the low single digits, but with beer volumes remaining stable.
Brands
AB InBev owns seven of the 10 most valuable beer brands globally.
These include Budweiser, which ranks first, and Corona, which has been the fastest-growing brand in terms of value, according to Kantar BrandZ.
In particular, Corona led the company’s global revenue growth with a 22.1% increase outside its home market.
In addition, Budweiser grew 17.1 percent and led the premium category in China, while Stella Artois increased revenues by 18.8 percent.
During its Capital Markets Day, in September, the company introduced Michelob Ultra, which grew 7.5%, as its fourth global brand.