World’s Largest Brewer Says Craft Beer Market Slowing Down
- AB InBev’s comments follow layoffs at craft pioneer Stone
- U.S. has 4,656 breweries, surpassing record set in 1873
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The craft beer market, for years the lone bright spot in an otherwise sluggish industry, is starting to get stale.
Sales growth is slowing, once-thriving brewers are laying off workers and the proliferation of new brands all competing for attention hearkens back to the dime-a-dozen startups from the web’s early days. On Friday, the world’s biggest brewer, Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, acknowledged the slowdown for the first time, saying the sector has been decelerating for more than three months.