Steady foot traffic and rising temperatures are driving retail sales as consumers prepare to toast the summer season. “There is palpable energy right now—people want to get outside, fire up the grill, and host backyard barbecues, patio gatherings, and cabin trips,” says Jon Halper, owner and CEO of Top Ten Liquors, a 16-unit beverage alcohol retailer in Minnesota. “They’re looking for any reason to celebrate the kickoff of summer with family, friends, and great adult beverages, which has driven fantastic momentum across our stores.”

Top Ten Liquors opened its 16th location in Bloomington, Minnesota this month.  “It marks a major milestone and gives us an even stronger retail footprint just as our neighbors are stocking up for peak entertaining season,” Halper says. “Foot traffic continues trending upward.”

Retail foot traffic remains steady at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, a three-unit New Jersey-based beverage alcohol retailer. “Our customer engagement remains very strong,” says store owner Gary Fisch. “Our loyalty card penetration is running at roughly 74% of transactions across our stores. With the holiday kicking off the grilling and entertaining season, we expect a strong lift in rosés, sparkling wines, RTDs, Tequilas, and warm-weather white wines.”

RTDs remain the spirits industry’s growth catalyst. “The category is no longer adjacent to beer,” Halper says. “It’s directly competing with it. National volume leaders like High Noon and Cutwater (each $12 a four-pack of 12-ounce cans) continue anchoring the category, but regional and craft entries are rapidly growing. Carbliss ($12) out of Wisconsin is a regional, low-calorie spirits-based brand outperforming larger national peers in our market. This as a structural shift, not a seasonal one.”

Hemp-derived THC beverages have also become a significant category for beverage alcohol retailers allowed to sell them. “THC drinks represent roughly 15% of our total sales and continue to grow,” Halper says. “We dedicate increasingly substantial shelf space to the category each quarter.”

Sales of spirits based RTDs and THC and CBD beverages are also hot at Gary’s. “Spirits-based RTDs are up approximately 12% year-on-year and now account for about 8.7% of our total spirits sales. Over the same time period, THC/CBD beverages are up about 95%,” Fisch says, noting top selling spirits based RTDs include Surfside ($14 a four-pack of 12-ounce cans), On The Rocks Premium Cocktails ($12 a 375-ml.), and Cutwater ($12 a four-pack of 12-ounce cans). “We are carrying about 300 spirits-based RTD SKUs, up from approximately 270 this time last year, as we continue to keep up with demand.”

At Gary’s, wine is trending well with strong demand for warm-weather staples rosé, Proseccos, Champagnes, crisp whites, and lighter reds. Top-selling wine brands include Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé ($20 a 750-ml.), Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Alto Adige ($24 a 750-ml.), and Fisch Cabernet Sauvignon ($28 a 750-ml.). “We are also seeing momentum in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, up roughly 7% year-over-year, and in sparkling wines like Natale Verga Prosecco ($13 a 750-ml.),” Fisch says.

Sales of other white wines beyond the classic Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are rising at Gary’s as customers explore Croatian, Greek, Austrian, and other lesser-known white varieties.  “Rosé also continues to perform well for us,” Fisch says. “There has been a lot of conversation in the trade about rosé cooling off, but our numbers tell a different story. It remains a core spring and summer category and Memorial Day is when it really takes off.”

Top selling wine brands at Top Ten Liquors heading into the holiday weekend include Whispering Angel Rosé ($20 a 750-ml.), Bonanza Cabernet ($20), and La Crema Sonoma Chardonnay ($15). “We expect to see a meaningful lift in crisp whites, celebrated rosés, and chillable reds that carries right through the summer months,” Halper says.

Premium Tequilas are surging at Top Ten Liquors. “Don Julio ($45 a 750-ml. of Anejo) and Casamigos ($36 a 750-ml. of Blanco) are leading volume, but premium and craft entries are gaining share,” Halper says. “Margarita season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, pulling volume and value.”

Tequila also continues as the standout spirit at Gary’s. “It’s holding steady year-over-year on a strong base, and the premium and ultra-premium end is seeing real action,” Fisch says. “Top movers include Lalo Blanco ($55 a 750ml), Cayeya Blanco Tequila ($35), Don Julio Blanco ($46).”

At Top Ten, ales of Bourbons, American whiskeys, and vodka remain steady. “Vodka remains our spirits volume backbone,” Halper says. “Tito’s ($30 a 1.75-liter) and Svedka ($14 a 1.75-liter) will move at their usual holiday-weekend pace, but growth dollars are migrating toward Tequila.”

Top Ten’s Memorial Day marketing strategy is aimed at the on-the-go consumer and utilizes a mix of social media, targeted radio, and high-visibility billboards. “Our core objective across all these channels is to provide genuine hosting inspiration,” Halper says.

Gary’s, meanwhile, is implementing an integrated marketing push across digital, in-store, and social media, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn with grilling pairings, rosé features, cocktail recipes, and reels highlighting store staff picks. “Our weekly email program reaches more than 100,000 wine lovers, and we are running themed Memorial Day offers,” Fisch says.

While Fisch expects Memorial Day 2026 sales to look similar to last year in terms of category mix, the biggest difference anticipated this year will be the continued momentum behind RTDs and THC/CBD beverages. “They are both meaningfully larger categories than they were 12 months ago,” he says.