Bud Light Is Losing Space in Grocery Chains

A year after conservatives launched a boycott of Bud Light in response to a promotional video from transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, the beer is about to lose space on grocery store shelves. Bloomberg reports that in the annual spring reshuffle based on sales, Anheuser-Busch brews including Bud Light and Budweiser are expected to lose shelf space to rivals including Molson Coors' bands Coors Light and Miller Lite. Jesse Ferber, chief strategy officer at Columbia Distributing, estimates that AB beers will lose 10% to 15% of their shelf space nationwide, though regional preferences mean it could be as little as 5% or as much as 18% in some areas.

Last June, Bud Light lost its spot as America's top-selling beer in dollars to Modelo Especial, though Bloomberg notes that the value-priced beer remains the top seller by volume, according to sales-tracking company Circana. The boycott accelerated a long decline in sales for Bud Light, but "numbers are turning back around," according to Steve Tatum at Alabama distributor Bama Budweiser. He says the spring shelf changes "may be worse than it should be because the numbers are getting better."

Last month, Donald Trump urged his supporters to give Bud Light a "second chance." Sources told CNBC that he was asked to support the beer by Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, who made it the UFC's official beer partner in an October deal. UFC star Dana Poirier announced a partnership with the beer Wednesday. He told Fox News he was "pumped up" about the deal and compared the brand's struggle to his career as a mixed martial arts fighter. "I've been at the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows in this sport," he said. "Aligning with this brand, Bud Light, you have to keep moving forward." (More Bud Light stories.)