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Not many liquor license holders would be bold enough to publicly bash their State Liquor Authority. But not many have cash and hubris of Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan. In what a local state senator called a "public meltdown," Dolan (also principal owner of NY Knicks and Rangers) appeared on local tv program to slam SLA for threatening MSG's liquor license over its use of facial recognition technology, per NY Post. He called SLA threats "extremely aggressive" and basically a publicity stunt. "So I have a little surprise for 'em," said Dolan. "What we're gonna do, right, is we're gonna pick a night, maybe a Rangers game, and we're gonna shut down all the liquor and alcohol in the building." (Not sure how this hurts SLA more than fans who paid lotsa dough to watch a game, or beer sponsor AB.) Dolan's been using the tech to bar any lawyers associated with firms suing any of his holdings from entering his properties. SLA noted retail liquor licensees (except not-for-profit), must allow access to general public, or they are considered to be "non bona fide" license holders. Dolan believes fans will still attend games without liquor, adding, "We don't make all our money on alcohol."

Following dismal Dec taxpaids, NBWA's Jan Beer Purchasers' Index (BPI) ain't much better. The 38 reading marked 8th straight month of shrinking orders from distribs. (Recall, below 50 indicates contraction; above 50 indicates expansion.) Jan 2023 BPI showed slight improvement vs December's all-time low of 30, albeit still below yr ago reading of 46. In-line with 37 index in Oct and 38 in Nov. "At-risk" inventory remained unchanged from last mo at 52, a bit better than 58 reading in Jan '22.

Issues tied to transition to Pepsi system in Canada obscured continued strong growth at retail for Montreal-based Guru Organic Energy in concluding qtr of 2022, with reported net sales declining 20% to $6.78 mil (Canadian) tho net loss narrowed by 35% to C$3.87 mil. That was despite 33% lift in scanners in core market. Gross margin strengthened a bit to 52.1% from 51% a year earlier thanks to pricing actions. At issue for top line was cycling of pipeline fill a year earlier as co made its Pepsi transition - that will be a factor in current qtr too, co warned - as well as year-end inventory reduction by new partner, thinner margin this partner offers, dropping of modest energy water line that conflicts with PEP portfolio and deferment of traditional Q4 sku addition until spring. But key metrics were up and "we firmly believe (Pepsi move) was the right decision and it will pay off in the long run," prexy/ceo Carl Goyette declared.

In energy segment, why's breaking up so hard to do? Over the years brands like Monster and Bang have had messy departures from their wholesaler partners as they've transitioned to soft drink systems, with beer houses brooding about being chiseled on buyouts, inventory repurchases and billbacks. That tradition seems to be continuing as Celsius and C4 marketer Nutrabolt move to Pepsi and KDP systems respectively - to the surprise of wholesalers who'd viewed both as fair, reliable and organized partners thru those brands' growth spurts. The Celsius flareup was quickly doused while the C4 one just emerged this week.

They're "strong, much-loved brands." Just not here. That was gist of announcement this afternoon about Horizon Organic and Wallaby organic dairy brands from CPG giant Danone as it proceeds thru strategic review dubbed Renew Danone that commenced last Mar. Tho they play in range of segments, including milk, creamers & whiteners, yogurt, cheese and butter tallying 3% of Danone's total global revenue, they "had a dilutive impact on Danone's like-for-like sales growth and recurring operating margin in 2022," per announcement. So it's contemplating a sale or other action. "We are confident that exploring strategic options for these brands will enable them to get the focus and resources they need and therefore allow them to maximize their potential and unlock further growth" . . . Hoplark, which makes hop-infused waters and teas, has raised $16 mil of venture funding via convertible debt from undisclosed investors on Jan 18, Silverwood Partners noticed in its weekly tally of finance activity. No announcement so far from Hoplark that we can see, tho it's flogging a Liquid Death-like stunt for Valentine's Day in form of The Bloody Good One crafted from blood orange juice and citra and Simcoe hops. Boulder-based co just elevated chief commercial officer Betsy Frost to ceo.

Avg prices for cannabis flower in tracked channels in Canada fell about 10% in Q4, Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat wrote this morn, pointing to Headset data. But "the great pricing compression" is even more pronounced in legal US markets, where prices are down by around 1/4. That's a striking contrast at a time when "prices are going up everywhere in CPG," Nadine noted. Soft "core prices" contribute to the drop in prices, but consumers are also "down trading to more affordable products," she observed.