Big beer brands had been losing ground for years before the coronavirus struck. Now drinkers are turning back to mainstream beers as the crisis shifts sales from tap rooms to grocery store aisles, giving a boost to giant beer companies while putting small craft breweries in peril.
Read the attached Wall Street Journal article and answer the questions below using information from the article, other news sources, and applicable sections of the textbook.
- Critically evaluate the trends occurring in beer industry sales during the pandemic. Provide a few data points to illustrate these trends.
- Briefly describe and critically evaluate some of the reasons why consumers are returning to mainstream beer brands during the pandemic.
- What competitive advantages do mainstream beer brands have vs. smaller craft brewers?
- What strategies would you recommend to the mainstream beer brands in an effort to sustain consumer loyalty even after the pandemic subsides?
The answer to each question should be at least a paragraph in length. Discuss your answers thoroughly and use relevant terminology from the textbook.
Formatting requirements:
- Separate your answers in numerical order. In other words, please do not type one long paragraph.
- Write clearly and concisely and run a grammar and spelling check.
- Submit this assignment as a Word document.
