Bud Light Sales Take 'Alarming' Turn In Latest Plunge

Bud Light probably wasn't shooting off to many Fourth of July fireworks this year.

The sinking brew took another nosedive this week in the Numbers Department, recording a staggering 28.5% plunge for the week ending July 1. That's slightly up from the 27.9% decline the prior week, and it somehow gets worse.

According to consultant Bump Williams, there are more storm clouds on the horizon.

“Budweiser trends have been slipping for a very long time, but it’s the Michelob Ultra negative numbers and now Busch Light negative trends that are most alarming to me,” Williams told The NY Post. “They were very healthy prior to April 1.”

Bud Light sales nearing 30% decline as Modelo and other gains ground

What Michelob Ultra and Busch Light trends, you ask?

Well, buckle up, because Bud Light wasn't the only Anheuser-Busch beer in the deep red last week.

According to Williams, sales of Michelob Ultra were down by 4.3% while Busch Light sales were down 8.5%. It wasn't all doom and gloom in the beer industry, though -- at least for others.

Modelo Especial, the nation's No. 2 beer that's been gaining on Bud for months now, saw its sales jump 11.4% during the same week.

Williams once again said the rival brew could catch -- and pass -- Bud Light by year's end.

“The gap between Modelo Especial and Bud Light on a year-to-date basis is closing,” he added.

Modelo ain't the only rival gunning for Bud Light, either.

Williams, who is based in Connecticut, said other beer brands showed significant gains over the holiday week, with some New England stores selling out of Yuengling, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Modelo.

According to the Post, Bud Light brand commands an 8.7% share of the beer market year-to-date with Modelo Especial creeping up from behind with an 8.1% share over the same time period.