According to PRNewswire, Diageo and Southern Wine & Spirits of America have announced agreements that appoint Southern as the new National Broker for Diageo wine and spirits in control states. This announcement comes after an exclusive review period initiated by Diageo earlier this year. The new relationship is an important milestone in the evolution of Diageo’s route to market strategy.
Southern will provide fully dedicated coverage for the 18 Control States, as well as Diageo’s Chateau & Estate Wines portfolio in the five Control States for wine.
“I am excited about our new national relationship with Southern Wine & Spirits, which begins the next phase of Diageo’s route to market strategy and is a key step toward driving a national sales force approach with our distributors and brokers in North America,” said Larry Schwartz, President Diageo USA. “Diageo and Southern have a long history of proven results, and I look forward to building on this success. With these new agreements, I know Southern will provide clear leadership and increased resources in support of Diageo spirits and wine brands across the Control State platform. I would like to thank our existing brokers for their dedication and support over the years, as well as everyone that participated in this process.”
Depending on the state, the new agreements will go into effect either July 1 or August 1, and will provide for a number of key changes. These will include enhancements to the teams representing Diageo brands as well as increased focus on multicultural and on-premise—two areas that are designated as key priorities for future growth.
“In addition to Southern’s existing exclusive representation of Diageo’s spirits portfolio in six open states, we are thrilled with Diageo’s appointment of us as their exclusive, national control state broker,” added Wayne E. Chaplin, Southern’s President & COO. “This appointment expands on our already extensive brokerage relationship with Diageo, and we look forward to working closely with Diageo to grow their portfolio of leading brands across all control states.”
Southern will expand its current 11 state relationship to 18, having exclusive rights to represent Diageo spirit brands in Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
