Optimism among US spirits wholesalers is on the wane with most predicting discounting will be required this quarter, a new survey reveals.

The US Spirits Wholesaler Survey, released by UBS today (21 January), showed that the majority of distributors – 68% – still expect expect a year-on-year rise in volumes over the next three months. But in a similar survey in September, 84% predicted an increase over the same period. 

“While there is still a clear expectation for volume growth year-on-year in the next quarter, conviction levels have moderated,” UBS said.

One wholesaler told UBS that the holiday season was “below expectations”, while another said discounting will kick in if trends remained soft.

Only 16% of wholesalers predicted less promotional activity in the next quarter compared to last year. In September, 47% expected less promotion.

In a report today, Euromonitor said the world’s biggest spirits makers are tightening their grip on global market share.

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