Catalina, which specializes in shopper intelligence and targeted in-store, TV, radio and digital media and claims the world’s richest real-time shopper database, predicts St. Patrick’s Day week in 2022 will be comparable to last year.
Alcohol sales for Super Bowl week this year were down about 2% vs. Super Bowl week last year. But compared to the same pre-pandemic period in 2019, alcohol sales continue to be higher. That is why Catalina estimates St. Patrick’s Day week this year will be 5-15% higher than 2019 levels, with beer leading the way.
“It makes sense that sales of adult beverages were up in 2021 compared to the last pre-pandemic St. Patrick’s Day holiday since many public gathering places last year still faced COVID restrictions. Add to that, many people were still uncomfortable gathering indoors – and they weren’t keen on drinking or dining outdoors at the tail end of Winter – hence many chose to celebrate at home,” said Sean Murphy, Chief Data & Analytics Officer for Catalina.
“Here we are two years into the pandemic, with more than 77% of the country having received at least one vaccine dose, CDC masking guidelines easing, and restaurants and bars back operating again with few restrictions in most places,” said Murphy. “With the National Retail Federation’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Survey showing that 19% of respondents plan to celebrate at a bar or restaurant this year — compared to 10% a year ago – 25% of respondents are still planning to host or attend larger private gatherings, compared to 21% last year. That’s why we anticipate in-store liquor sales this year will still be higher than 2019, even with a corresponding uptick at bars and restaurants.”