Q3 2024 Molson Coors Beverage Co Earnings Call
APAC, drove an increase in consolidated net sales revenue per hectolitre of 5.2 percent for the quarter.
Turning to cash flow, we generated $856 million in underlying free cash flow for the first nine months of the year while investing meaningfully in our business and returning $717 million in cash to shareholders through both dividends and our share repurchase program.
In fact, we repurchased more of our shares in the third quarter. We continue to view our valuation as compelling amid our confidence in our business and in our long-term growth algorithm.
That confidence stems from our progress against our strategic priorities.
I'll start with our core power brands. Collectively they remain healthy. In the US, Coors Light, Miller Light and Coors Bank with third quarter combined volume share was down about a half share point of industry versus a year ago when we saw strong share gains.
Compared to last year we continue to retain a substantial portion of our share gains on these core power brands.
And compared to the third quarter of 2022, these brands were up 1.9 SharePoints.
So the step change gains we made last year have largely stuck.
Coors Bank will continue to perform very strongly with brand volume up 8% and growing industry share for the 13th consecutive quarter on top of significant prior year gains.
In fact, yet a day, Banquet is the fastest growing top 15 beer brand in the U.S. in terms of volume percentage growth.
We see much more opportunity ahead as we invest in building the brand's awareness, its national scale and loyal consumer base, particularly among new Gen Z and millennial legal drinking age consumers.
In Canada, Coors Light continued to perform very well and again gained share of segment in the three months ended August.
In fact, it's the number one light beer in the industry.
The Molson family of brands also gained volume share for both the three months and year-to-date end of August.
This performance has helped us to drive 19 consecutive months of share growth despite the challenging industry backdrop and we plan to build on that.
In EMEA and APEC, strong results in Central and Eastern Europe were supported by Ajusco in Croatia, which increased volume 6% in the quarter, as well as the extremely successful relaunch of a legacy brand in Romania called Kariman.
Kariman has already reached over 250,000 hectolitres since March and has been incremental to the overall portfolio in the country.
And while it's certainly early days, its initial success highlights our ability to identify consumer needs and full white spaces while complementing our existing portfolio.
And Carling is, of course, a top lager in the UK, and we continue to invest to further enhance its brand equity amid a challenged mainstream segment in this market.
Turning to our premiumization priorities for both beer and beyond beer, Imerion APEC is an excellent example of our ability to premiumize.
We've shared that more than half of AMA and APAC Net Brand Revenue is in above premium and we have continued to build on that.
Much of the success comes from Madrid, which grew net sales revenue over 15% in the quarter and is now the number two lager in the on-premise in the UK in terms of value.
And as discussed in our earnings release this morning, we are pleased to have now taken full ownership of Cobra, an over 200,000 hectolitre above premium brand in the UK.
Canada also continues to premiumise, with its above premium net brand revenue up nearly 15% in the quarter.
This was driven by the success of Miller Lite, which is the fastest growing deer brand in this market, as well as by our Flavor Portfolio.
We are growing more share of flavour than any other major brewer in Canada.
We are committed to building on these successes with premiumization in the U.S. We have taken necessary actions to allow even more focus on scalable, above-premium opportunities, including divesting underperforming craft breweries.
We do have work to do here, but we have focused plans and see long-term opportunities within our expanding above-premium portfolio of brands in both beer and beyond beer.
I'll highlight a few examples.
Last quarter we shared some of our new plans for Peroni and they are starting to take shape.
We have a ready onshore production of kegs and cans and bottles will follow soon.
This will significantly improve consistency of supply, which has previously been a challenge when we have tried to scale the brand. And very importantly, it will also allow us to introduce different pack sizes that consumers are asking for.
In addition, we have strong commercial plans which we intend to fund through the meaningful savings that will be driven through local production.
Ultimately, we see no reason why Peroni can't rival the size of other major European imports in the US. Of course it will take some time, but we plan to hit the ground running in 2025 as we begin to drive meaningful scale and margin for this high potential brand.
In Beyond Beer, which is a big part of our premiumization plans, non-alk is an important area of focus for us.
With our emphasis on addressing consumer needs, particularly those of the younger legal drinking age Gen Z consumer, and on capturing more occasions, we are investing behind the growing areas in this space where we feel we have a right to win.
This is a long-term plan, but we are making progress.
With this in mind, as part of our broader strategy within Non-ALC, we have increased our investment in ZOA, bringing our ownership interest to 51%. We believe ZOA is well positioned, particularly as it plays in the better-for-you segment that is outpacing energy category growth.
With the support of its co-founder Dwayne The Rock Johnson, we have built a strong foundation for ZOA over the past three years, and it's time to pursue the next stage of growth and scale.
Taking this increased stake allows us to lead the entirety of the brand's marketing, retail, and direct-to-consumer sales development, as we drive brand awareness and distribution, leveraging the strength of our network.
Supporting all these strategic priorities is our robust capabilities.
And today, I'd like to share a few examples of how they are creating value across the commercial organization.
Taking a consumer-centric approach, we have developed deep consumer insights that inform how we support our brands and develop winning innovations.
Whether it's how we show up in new occasions with non-alc, or attract Gen Z through flavor, or how we make authentic cultural connections with Latinos.
Happy Thursday is a great example of how we identified a preference within Gen Z for bubble-free beverages and we were a first mover in the market to address it.
We are also advancing our shopper insights, like with our approach in C-stores, creating our first ever C-store innovation pipeline to win in this critical channel where we have historically under-indexed.
This includes three new launches that fit the larger trends in singles and high ABV across both beer and flavor.
Now, before I pass it to Tracey, I'll conclude by saying that we are confident we have the right strategy to achieve our long-term growth objectives.
Collectively, our global core power brands are healthier than they have been in years.
We are changing the shape of our global portfolio with premiumization successes in the American APEC and Canada, and targeted plans for the U.S.
We have strong and growing operations outside of the U.S. which are performing well and contributing meaningfully to our growth.
We have built capabilities across our organization that support premiumization and focused innovation, supply chain efficiencies, and commercial effectiveness, all of which help drive sustained long-term profitable growth.
And we have substantially improved our financial flexibility, allowing us to continue to advance our strategy by investing in our business as well as returning cash to shareholders.
So, we are pleased with our progress and our ability to capitalise on the opportunities ahead.
And with that, I will pass it to Tracey. Tracey.
Tracey: Thank you Gavin. We continue to focus on enhancing our profitability and financial flexibility.
Tracey: We are a highly cash-generative business, and as Gavin mentioned, we delivered $856 million in underlying free cash flow in the first nine months of this year.
This was supported by underlying pre-tax income margin expansion of 100 basis points during this period.
and we achieved this despite gross margin pressure largely due to volume de-leverage.
particularly in the third quarter related to the U.S. shipment trends discussed.
It is also achieved while we continue to support the health of our brains globally.
We also continue to prudently invest in our business to help support long-term sustainable profitable growth.
One example is our multi-year, multi-hundred million dollar Golden Brewery upgrade, which is now complete.
Tracey: And now, we have more flexibility to continue to invest across our brewery network to support our ongoing cost savings initiatives, while maintaining tight control of our annual capital expenditures within historic ranges.
Importantly, a balance sheet is healthy.
Our quarter-end leverage ratio was 2.1 times, well in alignment with our long-term target of under 2.5 times.
And we are so proud that our strong progress has been recognised by Moody's, which upgraded us one notch last week to BAA1 Stable, our highest investment grade rating in over a dozen years.
Tracey: Ultimately, our greatly improved financial flexibility provides us more optionality in the ways that we invest in the business.
Tracey: including both on M&A and to return even more cash to shareholders.
Tracey: We remain committed to our String of Pearls approach, as evidenced by our recent investment in ZOA and COBRA.
As for returning cash to shareholders, in the first nine months of this year, we paid $279 million in cash dividends and paid $458 million to repurchase 7.5 million shares.
Tracey: Since the plan was announced in October 2023, we have repurchased 5% of our Class B shares outstanding.
Tracey: It's an up to 5 year, $2 billion plan and we have utilised 29% in just the first 4 quarters.
and now I'll conclude with our financial outlook.
Speaker Change: As Gavin discussed, we are adjusting our net sales revenue guidance to down approximately 1% from low single-digit growth previously.
Speaker Change: This is the result of the softened and anticipated U.S. industry performance during the peak summer selling season.
Tracey: However, we are reaffirming mid-single-digit growth for underlying pre-tax income, driven by lower-than-expected costs, largely due to packaging materials and logistics costs, as well as G&A expenses.
Tracey: We also expect improved efficiencies and cost savings related to the further refinement of our UH regional cost operations as announced this week.
These efforts serve to optimize our brewery network by closing our two remaining and under-utilized U.S. regional craft breweries, Chippewa Falls and 10th Street in Wisconsin, and shifting more production to our Milwaukee brewery.
Tracey: We are also reaffirming mid-single-digit growth for underlying earnings per share, but we are narrowing it to the higher end of the range, supported by the execution of our share repurchase programme.
Tracey: Lastly, we continue to expect $1.2 billion plus or minus 10% in underlying free cash flow.
Tracey: Looking specifically at the fourth quarter, in the U.S. excluding contract volumes, we plan to shift to consumption for the year.
Given we shipped ahead of demand by about 1.1 million hectolitres in the first half of the year and 870,000 hectolitres reversed in the third quarter, we expect STRs to outpace STWs by about 200,000 hectolitres in the fourth quarter.
Tracey: Also, we expect a remaining headwind of about 500,000 hectolitres to America's financial volume related to the termination of the tax contract screwing agreement at year end.
Tracey: We continue to expect pulse per hectolitre to be impacted by volume de-levelled related to the US shipment drivers discussed.
Tracey: And we continue to expect MG&A to be down compared to the prior year period as we stifle both higher marketing investment, which was up approximately $50 million in the fourth quarter last year to support the momentum in our brand, as well as higher incentive compensation.
Tracey: Looking ahead, we remain confident in our business, our strategy, and our growth algorithm.
Tracey: We recognize that 2024 guidance is not effective of our collective long-term growth algorithm. But notably, excluding the impact of PADS, our guidance does imply positive top-line growth for 2024, despite the softer than anticipated industry this summer.
Tracey: At a higher level, here is how we think about some of the building blocks of the Long-Term Growth Algorithm.
Tracey: To get to top-line growth of low single digits, the drivers are pricing, mix and volume.
Tracey: On average, we expect annual net price increases in North America to be in the average historical range of 1-2% and other markets to trend in line with inflation.
Tracey: We expect NEXT to be a meaningful growth driver as we advance toward our medium-term goal of reaching about one-third of our global net brand revenue from above premium.
Tracey: We are focused on stabilizing some of our larger above-premium brands in the US and we seek great opportunities for brands like Peroni, Madri, Blue Moon Light as well as our broader non-ALP initiatives.
Tracey: When we put this all together we remain optimistic we can achieve our global premiumization goal.
Tracey: Given the growth potential through price and mix, there is room for some variations in volume in a given year.
Also, we are not just a U.S. business.
Tracey: It is certainly our largest market, but our markets outside the U.S. are important contributors to our growth outlook.
Tracey: For perspective, within our Americans business is the high NSR rate market of Canada, which grew its top line 5.7% for the first nine months of 2024.
Tracey: And the Mian A-Tech is also performing well, with its top line also at 5.7% for the same period.
Tracey: Amir and AIPAC is home to one of our most successful innovations in our history, Madrid, and it also provides us with exposure to the higher relative growth markets in Central and Eastern Europe, where we have been executing strong commercial plans.
Tracey: And to get to missed single-digit underlying pre-taxed income growth, our algorithm assumes margin extension.
Tracey: This is not only a function of disciplined revenue management and mixed benefits from both premiumisation and significantly lower contract buoys, but also from the return on our investment in supply chain and commercial capabilities that support our growth initiatives, efficiencies and cost savings.
Tracey: and then layering on our commitment of returning cash to shareholders through our Share Repurchase Program supports high single-digit underlying earnings per share growth.
Tracey: In closing, we believe we have the right strategy and we have made meaningful progress.
Tracey: With compelling cash generation and a healthy balance sheet, we are committed to continue to invest in our business to achieve long-term financial growth and our strategic goal, while also returning cash to shareholders through a growing dividend and our share repurchase program.
Tracey: With that, we would like to open it up to your questions. Operator?
Speaker Change: Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question today please do so now by pressing star followed by the number one on your telephone keypad. If you change your mind and would like to remove yourself from the queue please press star and then two. When preparing to ask a question please ensure that your device and your microphone are unmuted locally.
Tracey: The first question today comes from Bonnie Herzog with Goldman Sachs. Bonnie, please go ahead.
All right. Thank you. Good morning.
Tracey: I guess I have a question on your financial volume in America. Could you help us unpack, you know, the impact from shipment timing in the quarter that you called out versus maybe the impact on your business, you know, from macro pressures? And I recognize that you also had a, I think it was a 260 BIP headwind due to the PAPs on wine.
Speaker Change: Can you talk about trends in October? You know, did your shipments accelerate in October, for instance? And that kind of gives you, you know, some expectation that Q4 will be better. And I guess that's it. Thank you.
Speaker Change: The guidance obviously from an NSR point of view and taking it from where it was to down around 1% was largely driven by what we experienced in July and August. Those were tough months for the industry and of course we were impacted.
Speaker Change: We certainly did see some improvement in September, and over the last four or five weeks as we've got into Q4,
Tracey: You know, the overall industry has performed a lot better than it did in July and August. Of course, July and August are important months for us, right, because it's the middle of summer.
Tracey: From a shipment's point of view, you know, it played out pretty much as we expected in the third quarter, you know, as we unwound the
Tracey: sort of stopped inventory building that we had coming into into Q2 because of the Fort Worth situation and so, you know, we've largely unwound that but there is a little bit more to go, you know.
Tracey: And then, you know, Pabst, certainly, almost all of Pabst is out of our system now. I think there's one brand family left, which...
Tracey: which will come out in the fourth quarter, but that's relatively small volumes. And so if you put all of that together, that's how we landed at the
Tracey: at the guidance shift that we made. Tracey, do you want to add to that? Yeah, I mean just maybe to put some numbers to it. Bonnie, so in the US our shipments were down 17.9 percent.
Tracey: <unk> volume was down six 2% and <unk> had a two 6% impact as well and then the rest is just purely timing.
Tracey: The brand volume was down 6.2% and Peps had a 2.6% impact as well and then the rest was just really timing of, you know, trading days, etc.
Tracey: Tommy.
David: Thank you David.
Tracey: Sandra.
Tracey: Okay.
Speaker Change: The next question comes from Andrea Teixeira with Jpmorgan. Please go ahead.
Tracey: The next question comes from Andrea Teixeira with J.P. Morgan. Please go ahead.
Tracey: Yes.
Speaker Change: Hey, Good morning. This is drew Levine on for Andrea. Thank you for taking our question. So Kevin I wanted to double click on that.
Tracey: Hey, good morning. This is Drew Levine. I'm for Andrea. Thank you for taking our question. So, Gavin, I wanted to double click on the industry backdrop you mentioned over the summer. There was a lot more.
Tracey: The industry backdrop, you mentioned or this summer there was a lot more value seeking behavior.
Speaker Change: value-seeking behavior and that there's been improvement in September and October. So, curious, you know, what you're seeing from a consumer perspective, anything specific that you see is driving the improvement in the industry backdrop. Is it specific channels, consumer cohorts?
Tracey: And there has been improvement in September and October.
Speaker Change: So curious what you're seeing from a consumer perspective anything specific that you see is driving the improvement in the industry backdrop is it.
Speaker Change: Specific channels consumer cohorts and then maybe as it relates to next year.
Speaker Change: and then maybe as it relates to next year how, you know, kind of the improved performance into the fourth quarter will factor into your planning. Thank you.
Speaker Change: Kind of the improved performance into the fourth quarter logo factored into your planning. Thank you.
Drew Levine: Thanks drew for the question.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks, Drew, for the question.
Speaker Change: Look I mean.
Speaker Change: From an overall industry point of view, there's obviously throughout this year, there's been a lot of noise with trading days and holiday timings.
Look, I mean...
Tracey: and holiday timings and in sometimes turbulent weather. But if you look at the overall industry in total, it's essentially a continuation of what we've seen for a while.
Tracey: And sometimes.
Tracey: Great.
Tracey: But if you if you if you look at the overall industry.
Tracey: It's essentially a continuation of what we've seen for a while.
Tracey: Yes.
Tracey: Slightly.
slightly
Tracey: More pets shifting into signals as well as launched effects as consumers.
Tracey: More PECs shifting into signals as well as larger PECs as consumers continue to look for.
Tracey: Turning to look for to look for value.
Tracey: to look for value, and not to be repetitive of what I've said to Bonnie, but the category has been up and down.
Tracey: It's been a pretty neutral from what I said to you, but the category has been up and down in July and August certainly showed the patients from from an economic impacts with some of that channel.
Tracey: July and August certainly showed the pressures from economic impacts, with some of that channel and impacts just accelerating. As I said, that eased up a bit in September, and certainly in October. And, you know, the
Tracey: Access to accelerating.
Tracey: And as I say that eased up a bit in September.
Tracey: Robert.
Tracey: Yes.
Tracey: First part of November data that we've seen.
Tracey: first part of November, data that we've seen suggests that, you know, much better performance from an industry point of view than we saw in July and August.
Tracey: Such as.
Tracey: Yes.
Tracey: Much better performance from an industry point of view.
Tracey: And we saw in July and August.
Tracey: So from a consumer point of view.
Speaker Change: So from a consumer point of view, you know, not seeing anything meaningfully different from previous trends, you know.
Speaker Change: Akshay anything meaningfully different from from previous trends.
Speaker Change: Any conscious consumers continuing to engage in some channel.
Distribute the View.
Speaker Change: Shifting but we've noted that trend on this on this call.
Speaker Change: Somewhat counterintuitive to that we continue to see premium amortization.
Speaker Change: Can taking place.
Speaker Change: That's certainly a pause in the U S.
Tracey: and that certainly applies in the U.S. and in Canada, a pretty similar situation.
Speaker Change: Kind of a pretty similar.
Tracey: Situations.
Tracey: I don't have a crystal ball.
I don't know the crystal ball on where this is.
Tracey: On where this is this is all going to play out into the into the future. We're obviously encouraged by recent trends.
Tracey: Yes.
Tracey: We keep a close eye on consumer confidence, which has picked up in the.
Tracey: The recent.
Tracey: And our numbers that we released.
Tracey: And I put all that together and we're not seeing a whole lot.
Tracey: Different to what we've seen previously.
Speaker Change: Our next question comes from Philippe <unk> with Citi.
Speaker Change: Please go ahead.
Speaker Change: Hi, Good morning, everyone I wanted to ask about.
Tracey: Early thoughts on the fall reset obviously last year, you had significant shelf space gain with one of your competitors are going through some issue.
Tracey: What are your thoughts towards <unk> in terms of retaining the shelf space that you gave us here and potentially gaining more any thoughts.
Speaker Change: On your key brands will be helpful. Thank you.
Speaker Change: Yes, Thanks Filippo.
Speaker Change: Good morning look from a shelf resets point of view, if you remember correctly we had.
Tracey: Significant dislocation last fall.
Tracey: Retail is done normally make any meaningful changes to shelf sets.
Tracey: In the fall and we had an unprecedented change in the fall and then again, it's in the <unk>.
Tracey: <unk>.
Tracey: So collectively.
Tracey: Jumping shelf space for us for ourselves.
Tracey: As we as we've said previously we didn't expect.
Tracey: Meaningful dislocation has to take place in Guyana, and we refocused the retailers would revert back to the.
Tracey: More tweaks either up or down.
Tracey: They've done it.
Tracey: In the past.
Tracey: And obviously our goal was was to retain the shifts.
Tracey: Space that we gained in and to increase and we achieve both of those goals in the fall of this year, we held this year.
Tracey: Space that we gained in the fall in the spring and we actually guided a little bit.
Tracey: The positive outcome from us given.
Tracey: The significant increase in shelf space that we that we.
Tracey: An experienced team in the fall.
Tracey: Going forward, we would expect.
Tracey: And spring for.
Tracey: The same.
Tracey: Prices too to manifest.
Tracey: Retailers, making tweaks and adjustments based on the innovations that are coming out.
Tracey: Moving so.
Tracey: I am moving items I think the key takeaway from our perspective as we retain significant shelf space, we got and we actually go into a little bit more so we're very pleased with the outcome.
Speaker Change: The next question comes from Bryan Spillane with Bank of America, Brian. Please go ahead.
Bryan Spillane: Thanks, operator, and good morning, everyone.
Speaker Change: Maybe tracey.
Speaker Change: Can you just level set for us now where we stand in terms of.
Tracey: Sort of marketing level, if I recall last year.
Speaker Change: Given the upside that you were running there was quite a bit of incremental spend built into the back half of last year and I.
Speaker Change: I guess I'm thinking about this more in terms of as we exit 'twenty four and into 25 are we into or are we at a level now in terms of total.
Speaker Change: Marketing expense that is enough right to drive the algorithm or do we think that.
Speaker Change: There's going to be a potential to step up more.
Speaker Change: Thanks, Brian and yes. So if you recall, we did say that Tony.
Speaker Change: In the same level of marketing dollars in the back half of this year as we did.
Speaker Change: In the back half of last year, because we were investing.
Speaker Change: And significantly behind our core brands, which had the main connectivity.
Tracey: And.
Speaker Change: As Anthony My prepared remarks, the four.
Speaker Change: The fourth quarter of this year, and we don't expect the marketing investment to be at.
Speaker Change: <unk> was up about $50 million in the fourth quarter.
Speaker Change: But if we look at the full year and 24, we still expect our marketing investment to be up versus 2020.
Tracey: And.
Tracey: We will continue to put the Roc level of investment behind our brands, we will make sure that we feel are key.
Tracey: Core brands in particular, but also the innovation and above premium brands that we had against.
David: David again.
David: We've spoken about peroni, and how are we going to increase investment behind that brand as we bring <unk>.
David: And into the U S. Just makes it much easier for us.
David: We will put the rack level of investment behind our brands.
David: We don't expect significant impact.
David: But again, yes.
David: We'll make those decisions as we see what we need to invest behind and revenue TB.
David: And which brands.
Speaker Change: The next question comes from Chris Carey with Wells Fargo Securities. Please go ahead.
Speaker Change: Hi, everyone.
Speaker Change: I wanted to.
Tracey: Just I guess, reflecting on 2024.
Tracey: Clearly the topline has been a challenge, but this is really a category dynamic it's been a challenge across the entire category.
Tracey: When you reflect on how this year has gone on.
Tracey: And start thinking about.
Tracey: Next year.
Tracey: How much of the volume weakness this year field.
Tracey: Like an anomaly.
Tracey: With maybe some green shoots that you feel like.
Tracey: Are getting better.
Tracey: Or not.
Tracey: And how much of.
Tracey: The price mix that you're seeing this year feels durable.
Tracey: Obviously, there is a mixed periodization element for pricing as well.
Tracey: And we're not really getting out here and you answered it how you will regarding 2025, but.
Tracey: Is this dynamic where you're lapping this really significant event from last year and on top of that the category was quite weak and so it's really hard to understand.
Tracey: Where your top line is going to shake out.
Tracey: And I would say a more normal environment with more normal comparison.
Speaker Change: I just don't know if you have any kind of a broader comment on on that as you can.
Speaker Change: One or two years I mean, clearly you've been doing well from a profit standpoint are returning past, but is that the.
Speaker Change: Top line, which is the recurring.
Speaker Change: So I would just love any added perspective there. Thanks.
Speaker Change: Yes, Thanks, Chris look I mean, a lot to unpack in what you just used our stride, but maybe I can just summarize it into.
Tracey: Okay.
Speaker Change: What gives you confidence that you.
Tracey: It could be June.
Tracey: Sure.
Tracey: Long term growth algorithm as it relates to.
Tracey: So I'm going to answer the answer is that if you look at 2024 lots of noise in 2024, both from an industry point of view from.
Tracey: That's coming out of our top line revenue and factoring significant.
Tracey: Growth in the in the previous year.
Tracey: No.
Tracey: If you made the point I think in my remarks about about.
Tracey: If you strip, perhaps out of out of our top line.
Tracey: We are in positive territory.
Tracey: Start there and of course, we do have some.
Tracey: While steps out of our system.
Tracey: Anybody into Q3 and will be completed by Q4, we will continue to cycle. There for the next next nine months at least and then a little bit in the fourth quarter of the following year.
Tracey: But if you look at.
Tracey: The share rotation that we've experienced with our coal powered power brands right.
Tracey: We regained and have gained and returned about 190 basis points of share growth over the over the first nine months of.
Tracey: Of the year when you compare 2022, so that's very pleasing.
Tracey: <unk>.
Tracey: In the latest four week read retaining about 80% of of the share that we gained.
Tracey: And last year, so I'm very very pleased with that outcome.
Tracey: Most of it and that seems to be settling down at this at this at this level.
Tracey: Coors banquet in particular has been very positive for us year to date that brand is growing double digits, but fastest growing.
Tracey: From a synergy point of view as I said in this in the space.
Tracey: Okay.
Tracey: <unk>.
Tracey: Just doing very very well.
Tracey: We're more than just a U S business of course.
Speaker Change: You made that point, we've got Canada, that's growing revenue really strongly with gaining share.
Tracey: Meaningful clip in Canada year over year on top of share growth from from last year and our EMEA APAC business is also driving top line. So.
Tracey: From a pricing point of view in the U S.
Tracey: We've said previously we expected pricing to sort of settle down into that 1% to 2% range.
Tracey: So far this year.
Tracey: End of that range at around at around two <unk>.
Tracey: Price increases that we are regarding forward.
Tracey: Last year at this same players.
Tracey: Spaces.
Tracey: Increased price in the fall of this year.
Tracey: <unk> efforts, which obviously drove strong mix.
Tracey: The increase really well in Canada.
Tracey: Across the ocean.
Tracey: We know we've got work to do in the U S. We've got clear plans.
Tracey: Plans from that.
Tracey: We've obviously made some some moves in the quarter taking.
Tracey: Mike.
Tracey: Above.
Tracey: 50%.
Tracey: So overall when.
Tracey: When I look at it.
Tracey: Some of our innovation and premium amortization plans, whether it's peroni.
Tracey: In the U S or expanding.
Tracey: Expanding midstream to Canada and potentially.
Tracey: Potentially some other markets in Europe.
Tracey: In the in the new year.
Tracey: I feel I feel confident in our long term.
Chris: Growth algorithm Chris.
Chris: Obviously, the honest answer to your question.
Tracey: <unk>.
Speaker Change: Our next question comes from Rob Wilson Stein with Evercore. Please go ahead.
Tracey: Great.
Speaker Change: Hey, guys.
Tracey: Just maybe drill down a little bit into some of the prior questions and ask.
Tracey: What is the pricing environment look like the promo environment.
Tracey:
Tracey: We understand that there was some selective pricing in October on singles and the import space I don't know if you.
Tracey: You played in that with Peroni for instance.
Tracey: And how that played out but just love to understand what the competitive environment looks like.
Speaker Change: So let me let me stop there. Thank you.
Speaker Change: Thanks, Robert what are the answer the.
Speaker Change: Priority question, though.
Speaker Change: We didn't do anything to my knowledge.
Speaker Change: On promotion.
Tracey: On priority.
Tracey: Our plans around providing a much different right I mean, as we've said, we're bringing that brand onshore.
Tracey: And thats going to give us.
Tracey: Three really big advantages for us right, it's going to be a more consistent supply increase.
Tracey: Increased pack formats, which the consumer has been one thing that we haven't been able to.
Tracey: To provide given maybe you are sourcing the product form and then in a ton more margin to reinvest.
Tracey: Far as <unk> is concerned or come into those already a top 10 brand.
Tracey: On Amazon a year to date, which is which is incredible given how long its competitors. The big players have been in this space. So I'm very encouraged by that.
Tracey: Encouraged by the fact that <unk> is attracting new drinkers into the LNG.
Tracey: Category, and we're starting to build stronger new distribution and getting mandates, which we didn't have before.
Tracey: Now that we've got a majority stake in the business, we're going to have our initiative of marketing leadership, there isn't that we haven't had before and that's going to be a big big plus.
Tracey: For us.
Tracey: Incremental to our overall revenues very supportive of Australia post approaches.
Speaker Change: As Tracy mentioned, so we feel really good about this brand and Thats what gives us confidence to.
Speaker Change: To take a minority stake up to a majority stake so thanks for the question Michael.
Speaker Change: Thank you.
Speaker Change: We have no further questions. This concludes today's call. Thank you for your participation you may now disconnect your lines.
Tracey: [music].