Wilson Daniels has given Reyes Beverage Group exclusive distribution rights in seven US states and switched to Johnson Brothers in five further states, following the ongoing departure of Republic National Distributing Co (RNDC) from the markets.
Reyes took control of Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia for the wine importer & marketer on 1 June. Johnson Brothers, meanwhile, will distribute Wilson Daniels’ brands in Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia from 1 August.
The family-run business put the changes down to “the announcement of the RNDC sale and pending sale of business units in these markets”. Wilson Daniels, which specialises in ‘fine’ wine, added: “A critical element in our decision-making process for these new alignments was an unwavering commitment to fine wine [from both distributors].”
“The partnership between Wilson Daniels and RNDC for the past 11 years has been remarkable in terms of the shared growth and relationships built spanning 21 markets,” said Wilson Daniels president Rocco Lombardo.
“As we look to the future, our position as a growth company remains unchanged. We are excited by the prospects of these new distributor partnerships and focused on forging similarly strong relationships with both Reyes and Johnson Brothers.”
Having sparked shockwaves across the alcohol industry in the US when it withdrew from the Californian market last September, RNDC confirmed in April that it will sell its operations in the country’s 17 Control States to New England-based Martignetti Co’s. A day earlier, Columbia Distributing said it had secured a letter of intent to buy “certain wine and spirits distribution rights in Oregon and Washington” from RNDC.
In March, Pernod Ricard’s US division detailed a move away from RNDC for its full portfolio through a “market-by-market approach”.
