Corona beer maker says U.S. sales remain strong despite virus outbreak

(Reuters) - Corona beer maker Constellation Brands Inc <STZ.N> said on Friday sales of its Corona Extra beer remained strong in the United States in the four weeks to Feb. 16, amid the rapid global spread of the coronavirus.

The Modelo Especial beer maker also said all units supporting its beer business are seeing positive sales trends for the brand thus far in 2020 despite claims about the impact of the coronavirus on its business.

There have been a few media reports inaccurately claiming sales of the beer were being impacted by the virus, a Constellation spokesman said.

"We've seen no impact to our people, facilities or operations and our business continues to perform very well," Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands said in a statement.

Newlands added the company does not have much exposure to international markets such as China that have been most impacted by the outbreak.

The epidemic has killed over 2,700 and infected at least 80,000 people, most of them in China.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)