To #1, at least according to the Brewers Association figures (https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/natio...), craft beer sales have been fairly stagnant since about 2015. That has been kind of a problem for an industry that was seeing investment at a rate that would seem to presume that this rocketshp was headed to the moon. And, maybe most pertinent to the situation for Anchor, regional and microbrewery beer sales have been in decline. The only segment of the craft beer industry that's growing is taprooms.
To #2, yes, at least in my area there are about half as many homebrew supply shops as there were ten years ago.
As to #2, how much of that is due to online sales? The last homebrew store in my town closed down last year, but there are is much wider selection of both equipment and ingredients available to me now than at any other time.
To #2, yes, at least in my area there are about half as many homebrew supply shops as there were ten years ago.