Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits

Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of America is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States with operations in 44 states and Washington, D.C.[3] Southern's portfolio is 45% wine and 55% spirits. It was the 11th largest private company in the United States in 2021.[2]

Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryWine and spirits sales & distribution
Founded1968 (1968)
FounderJay W. Weiss, Harvey R. Chaplin, Howard Preuss
Headquarters
Miramar, Florida, U.S.
Number of locations
44 states plus the District of Columbia, Canada
Area served
44 states
Key people
  • Harvey Chaplin
  • Bennett Glazer
  • Wayne Chaplin
  • Sheldon Stein
  • Mel Dick
  • Steven R. Becker
  • Lee F. Hager
  • Brad Vassar
  • Thomas Greenlee
  • Benjamin Kornmiller
Products7,000+ Brands[1]
ServicesSales, delivery, merchandising
RevenueUS$21 billion (2021)[2][1]
Number of employees
22,500 (2021)[2]
SubsidiariesCoastal Wine and Spirits, American Liberty Transatlantic Wine and Spirits, Atlantic Wine & spirits
Websitewww.southernglazers.com

History

Southern Wine and Spirits was founded in 1968 in Florida by Jay W. Weiss, Harvey R Chaplin, and Howard Preuss in their headquarters in Miramar. The company expanded from Florida to California in 1969. In 1977, Howard Preuss died due to cancer. His widow, Celia Preuss, sold her part of the company to the remaining owners. Southern was one of the first companies to have statewide distribution in California, which is the company's largest market; prior to Southern's presence, California had dozens of small distributors.[4]

The company spread to Nevada in 1976, Arizona in 1992, South Carolina in 1993, Pennsylvania in 1995, Hawaii in 1996, Kentucky in 1998, New Mexico in 2000, Colorado in 2001, Illinois in 2002, New York in 2004, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia in 2005. In 2006, the company began operations in Alabama and entered Delaware in 2008. In July 2008, Southern Wine and Spirits merged with the Odom Corporation which added Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska to its distribution areas. Southern entered the Indiana market in 2010.

Southern now has a presence in Maryland and the District of Columbia through a joint venture with F.P. Winner Wine & Spirits, as well as a joint venture operation in Minnesota with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company. The company holds operating licenses and permits in Indiana, Nebraska, and Texas.

In January 2016, the company merged with Glazer's, changing the name to Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, forming the biggest wine and spirits distributor in the country.[5][6]

People

Harvey R. Chaplin is the chairman.[7]

His son, Wayne E. Chaplin, serves as the President and CEO.[8]

Mel Dick is the Senior Vice President of Southern Wine & Spirits of America and President of the company's Wine Division. In 2001, Mel Dick was awarded the Legion of Honor medal by the President of France, Jacques Chirac, for his efforts to promote French wine.[9] He was first hired at Southern Wine and Spirits in 1969 as General Sales Manager-Wine to develop the wine operations of the company, and was later promoted to Senior Vice President in 1991.[10]

Brad Vassar serves as Executive Vice President and C.O.O.

Products

Southern Glazer's represents approximately 1,500 wine, spirit, beer, and beverage suppliers from around the world. The company operates in 44 states and employs approximately 23,000 people.[11] During a working week, the sales, delivery, and support staff of Southern Glazer's collectively calls on or services over 250,000 different chains and independent retail and restaurant customers across the country.

In May 2018, Southern Wine & Spirits reached a deal with Aphria for its new subsidiary Great North Distributors to exclusively distribute Aphria's recreational cannabis products in Canada when its recreational use becomes legal in the country.[12]

In March 2023, Southern Glazer announced that they have expanded their relationship to form a national strategic alignment with The Wine Group. [13]

References
  1. "America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  2. "America's Largest Private Companies". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. "SWS & 3 Tier". Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  4. "History". Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  5. "Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits Announces Completion of Combination of Southern Wine & Spirits and Glazer's". PRNewsWire. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  6. Freedman, Brian (2016-08-11). "Wave Of Mergers And Acquisitions Sweeps U.S. Wineries". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  7. "Picton Wine". Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  8. Wayne E. Chaplin. "Wayne E. Chaplin: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  9. "Bulletin Board". Winebusiness.com. February 2001. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits | Company Overview & News". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  12. "Aphria strikes deal with Southern Glazer's on cannabis distribution - Article - BNN". BNN. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  13. "The Wine Group Announces National Alignment with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, Strengthening its Position for Strategic Portfolio Growth". www.businesswire.com. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
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