Distribution

The founders of the Craft Beer Cellar retail franchise and its flagship retail store and restaurant have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation for both business entities (Craft Beer Cellar Group and Craft Beer Initiative LLC), according to filings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The three-year legal battle between Sheehan family members appears to be coming to a resolution as a deal to “consolidate ownership” of the multi-state distributor under four of Gerald “Jerry” Sheehan’s sons has been reached.

Boston Beer Company continues to slowly expand distribution of Slingers Signature Cocktails, its high-ABV, malt-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTDs).

Hensley Beverage Company president and CCO Andy McCain has been promoted to CEO of the beverage distributor, effective immediately. McCain has worked for Hensley — a 69-year-old independent Anheuser-Busch InBev wholesaler that covers Arizona and New Mexico — for more than 27 years, serving in several leadership roles over that time, including CFO. He was… Read more »

Constellation Brands overtook Molson Coors as the No. 2 beer category vendor by dollar sales in multi-outlet grocery and convenience stores (MULO+C) in 2023, according to market research firm Circana, which shared its year-end report. Constellation grew off-premise dollars by $1.092 billion to $8.446 billion through December 31.

In the midst of Dry January, leading non-alc (NA) retailer Boisson has announced it is shifting its model to expand its wholesale business.

Matagrano, an independent South San Francisco-based Anheuser-Busch distributor, has inked a deal to acquire Bottomley Distributing, which services Silicon Valley and the South Bay Area.

Martignetti Companies has closed on its acquisition of Quality Beverage, according to a press release. Financial terms of the deal, which was announced in April 2023, were not disclosed.

Landing in a wholesaler’s warehouse is a big win for a supplier, but it’s often just the first step in a journey that ultimately ends in a consumer’s fridge. Stone Distributing general manager Brian Fried, Breakthru Beverage California director of beer Sinead Carey and Tryon Distributing director of beer Elledge Davis shared the questions and tasks suppliers need to ask and accomplish along the way during the Brewbound Live business conference last month in Marina del Rey, California.

Overall beer ordering contracted again in December after spending one month in expansion territory, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI).

Craft Vermont is being sold to Farrell Distributing (a Molson Coors distributor) and Baker Distributing (an Anheuser-Busch house), in a transaction expected to close in February, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

Many craft breweries have made distribution and packaging changes in the last few years to combat changing off-premise trends and consumer purchasing habits. But transitions don’t always mean immediate positive changes, as Belching Beaver can attest.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Total Wine & More “will continue to evade its production obligations absent an enforcement order” from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The agency and the national beverage-alcohol retailer are at odds over whether Retail Services & Systems, Inc. (RSSI), Total Wine’s parent company,… Read more »

The legal battle between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and national bev-alc retailer Total Wine & More continued this week when the chain filed a motion to oppose the agency’s petition to force it to comply with a civil investigative demand (CID). The FTC last month claimed Total Wine’s parent company, Retail Services & Systems,… Read more »