2019-06-01_Market_Watch

Distributors Debut Digi-

tal Platforms....Southern

Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

launched Proof, a new digital

platform that allows customers

to search the wholesaler’s port-

folio, reorder, and discover new

offerings in late April. It

features product ratings from

Wine Spectator and Whisky

Advocate, as well as custom-

ized recommendations, food

pairings, and other informa-

tion. The initiative, which

also includes a new “customer

relationship management plat-

form” supporting the South-

ern Glazer’s sales team, is

currently available to custom-

ers in Indiana, Kentucky,

Washington, Florida, Oregon,

and South Carolina. Addi-

tional markets will be added

throughout 2019.

Meanwhile, Republic

National Distributing Co.

(RNDC) has also launched a

new digital platform. Known

as eRNDC, the platform gives

customers, suppliers, and sales

representatives

advanced digital

tools for ordering,

product search and

selection, order tracking,

and payments. Developed in

partnership with LibDib, the

eRNDC customer experience

initially launched in Georgia,

with more markets to follow.

The company will also add a

supplier experience featuring a

centralized portal for product

portfolio management, report-

ing, and analytics.

Hess Family Wine

Purchases Iron Corral....

Hess Family Wine Estates has

agreed to acquire the Iron

Corral Vineyard for an undis-

closed sum. Originally devel-

oped by Mildara Blass, Iron

Corral was most recently owned

by the Dallas Police and Fire

Pension System. Hess plans to

use fruit from the 420-acre prop-

erty—of which 186 acres are

planted, predominantly to

Cabernet Sauvignon—to

expand its luxury

portfolio. Situated

about two miles

from Hess’s Allomi

Vineyard in Pope

Valley, Iron Corral is expected

to form the backbone of the

company’s Lions Head Collec-

tion, and specifically the Lion

Tamer brand, as well as future

luxury products. Hess origi-

nally launched Lion Tamer

($45 a 750-ml.) with a red

blend and has since added a

Cabernet Sauvignon and

white blend to the range. In

addition to supplying its own

luxury brands, Hess will

continue to sell Iron Corral

fruit to other producers for the

foreseeable future.

Boston Beer Acquires

Dogfish Head....Massachu-

setts’ Boston Beer Co. has

purchased Delaware’s Dogfish

Head Brewery in an agreement

valued at $300 million. The

deal will fold Dogfish Head’s

portfolio and brewery into

Boston Beer’s larger corpo-

rate structure, including

putting Boston Beer’s sales

team in charge of Dogfish

Head. The deal, which is

expected to close near the

end of the second quarter,

will transfer more than

400,000 shares of Boston

Beer stock to Dogfish

co-founders Sam and Mariah

Calagione at $314.60 apiece.

Dogfish Head shareholders

will receive $173 million

from the sale, minus costs

associated with the deal. Sam

Calagione will join Boston

Beer’s board of directors, and

Boston Beer CEO Dave

Burwick will remain in his

role. The combined company

will remain an independent

craft brewery as defined by

the Brewers Association. As

of last year, Boston Beer is

the No.-2 craft brewery in

the U.S. and Dogfish Head is

the 13th, according to the

Brewers Association. mw

The Editors

mw

THROUGH

THE GLASS

JUNE 2019 | MARKETWATCHMAG.COM | MARKET WATCH 11

Marketing Giant Michel Roux Passes Away At 78

Michel Roux, who built Absolut Vodka into an icon, passed away

on April 30 at age 78. A native of France, Roux immigrated to the

United States in 1964 and started his career in hospitality. He joined

Carillon Importers in 1970, becoming president and CEO in 1981.

Carillon took on an obscure Swedish vodka brand called Absolut

in 1979; a year later its volume stood at 45,000 cases. Roux

conducted a revamp of Absolut’s packaging, and enlisted the

services of ad agency TBWA Worldwide. Together, they commis-

sioned artists—starting with Andy Warhol—to create what would

become the most successful spirits ad campaign in history. Running

for 25 years, the campaign made the Absolut bottle a cutting-edge

cultural symbol. Today, the Pernod Ricard-owned brand has global

volume of 11.25 million cases. Roux’s other big success at Carillon

was Bombay Sapphire—an upscale offshoot of the Bombay gin

brand that was entirely his own creation. Sapphire remains the

leader of the super-premium gin segment today, with U.S. volume

of around 1 million cases. After Absolut and Bombay Sapphire were sold, Roux left Carillon in 1998 and launched Crillon

Importers, focusing on high-end imports. “Michel had many friendships across the industry,” said Marvin R. Shanken,

chairman of M. Shanken Communications. “He was admired for his brilliant, individualistic style of marketing.”

Michel Roux (above with Marvin R. Shanken in 2015) made

a huge mark on the spirits industry, transforming Absolut

vodka into a global icon and creating Bombay Sapphire gin.

PH
OTO

BY

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