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11/06/2007- IRI Beverage Alcohol Practice Helps Manufacturers Win on the Back Bar, on Tap and in the Well

New IRI On-Premise Beverage Finds Americans Still Prefer Beer but Venturing Outside Comfort Zone to Experience New Categories, Products and Flavors

CHICAGO, Nov. 6, 2007 – What are the hottest cocktails being served in bars, restaurants, clubs and hotels? While trendy martinis and the latest pinot noir are popular, people still love to guzzle beer at their favorite watering hole. In fact, beer accounts for the majority of volume at 55.8 percent, followed by spirits at 32.5 percent and wine at 11.4 percent, according to the new On-Premise Insights Service™ from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). Unlike most “recall” surveys that collect information after the fact, the new IRI service surveys consumers at the point of consumption to uncover actionable insights that will help beer, wine and spirits manufacturers and retailers to more effectively identify performance drivers, better understand on-premise consumer behaviors and improve merchandising and execution to drive improved revenue growth and profits.

The IRI survey found that American consumers are expanding their drink repertoire to include selections in all three beer, wine and spirits segments. Consumers continue to be brand loyal, but they are willing to venture outside their comfort zone to experience new categories, products and flavors in the same or even high-priced tiers. However, women are not as influenced by price as men.

Men and women of every age are drinking more, with consumers under age 40 driving the greatest portion of growth across all categories, according to IRI research. Younger consumers, aged 21-29, are most open to trying new products, and single, affluent consumers in the 25-35 age range are driving new trends and premium brand sales.

“Because the latest trends and new brand launches often occur in bars and restaurants before making it to the retail shelf, beverage alcohol manufacturers must have a thorough understanding of consumers’ attitudes on premise,” says Bump Williams, general manager, IRI Beer, Wine and Spirits Practice. “Recall surveys don’t capture the type of consumption patterns and preferences required to truly understand consumer behavior, so we’re sending in our surveyors to discover what consumers are thinking at the time of purchase. These are the actionable insights our clients need to understand the on-premise consumer, so that they can increase penetration of their brands and improve profits.”

The actionable insights from the IRI On-Premise Insights survey will help beverage alcohol manufacturers and retailers make better informed decisions by providing insights to such critical questions as:

• Do we have the correct distribution?
• What’s my brand’s on-premise share in the category?
• Are we penetrating on-premise with the right products?
• Are my promotion dollars effective?
• What promotions are most effective?
• How does my distribution compare in each channel?

For the initial phase of the new offering, IRI surveyed consumers in five major metropolitan markets—Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York—to discover the most sought-after insights in key trendsetting markets. On-premise locations are selected in each market during different times of the week and weekend to capture a wide variety of channels, including bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels, location types and drink occasions. Surveyors focused on such issues as the most popular beer, wine or spirit requested, presence/type of drink specials, number of tap handles, size of draft pour, beverage alcohol brands found on drink menus, and type of point-of-sale items found, such as signage, coasters, table tents and chalk boards.

For additional information about the On-Premise Insights Service from IRI, the world’s leading global provider of consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights for the consumer packaged goods (CPG), healthcare and retail industries, please contact Elena Amboyan at elena.amboyan@infores.com.

IRI Beer, Wine and Spirits Practice

The IRI Beer, Wine and Spirits industry vertical provides manufacturers, distributors and retailers with market and store-level insights specific to the beverage alcohol marketplace. The practice was formed in response to the needs of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in this segment to better understand consumer decisions related to beverage alcohol purchasing behaviors, attitudes, and preferences. The IRI Beer, Wine and Spirits industry vertical offers a complete suite of solutions, including account- and store-level tracking that help its clients monitor, comprehend, compete, and act upon within the rapidly evolving beverage alcohol market.

About Information Resources, Inc.

IRI is the world’s leading provider of consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights supporting 95 percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and healthcare companies. Only IRI offers the unique combination of integrated market information, automated and predictive analytics, innovative enabling technologies, and domain expertise. With IRI, leading retailers and manufacturers are able to quickly discover breakthrough insights driving smarter decisions and actions across the enterprise for breakthrough results. Companies around the world depend on IRI for improved productivity, stronger brands, and dramatic revenue growth. For more information, visit http://us.infores.com.

IRI CONTACTS:

John McIndoe
E-mail: john.mcindoe@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3862
Fax: (312) 474-2512
Shelley Hughes
E-mail: shelley.hughes@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3675
Fax: (312) 474-2512