Beverage alcohol distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is primed for significant expansion, as the company detailed in late July.

The Miami, FL and Dallas, TX-based company announced an acquisition in New England on July 25, and then a slew of investments six days later that span all areas of the business.

Acquisition

Southern Glazer’s reached a deal to acquire Norton, MA-based Horizon Beverage Group — a fellow alcohol distributor with operations in New England. The deal includes all of Horizon’s operations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as its wine, spirits and beer portfolio.

Terms were not shared for the transaction, which adds a 46th and 47th state to Southern Glazer’s U.S. footprint, alongside Canada and the Caribbean.

Once the deal is completed, Horizon Beverage Group will operate under the Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Massachusetts and of Rhode Island, respectively. The company’s current leadership teams in both states will continue in those markets, as will all Horizon team and leadership members, Southern Glazer’s noted in a news release.

Horizon has more than 600 employees and operates 800,000 square feet of warehouse space and a fleet of nearly 100 delivery vehicles.

Investments

On July 31, Southern Glazer’s detailed numerous investments that span the company’s commercial sales, digital and supply chain operations that aim to support its “2030 Vision to be the hospitality industry’s most valued selling, logistics and insights provider.”

Those investments, detailed by the company, include:

• Re-tooling its commercial route to market in five states, adding more than 200 team members. Southern Glazer’s has also re-structured its service model for the convenience store channel, adding nearly 175 resources in more than seven markets and evaluating incremental investments in an additional ten markets.
• Bolstered capabilities and resources to support National Accounts. This includes purchasing data packages that highlight both shopper and consumer insights; onboarding top talent across both consumer packaged goods and beverage alcohol companies; and strengthening customer development and category management teams.
• Logistics and operations investments in new facilities, routing and forecasting technologies; leveraging AI and automation; and launching new solutions for customers. This includes new distribution centers in Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada and South Carolina, as well as in an additional facility in Kentucky for the recently-launched Ankaa Global Logistics subsidiary. In addition, the company has committed to replacing 435 delivery vehicles with more efficient, environmentally-friendly vehicles, as well as investing in 50 all-electric tractor units to be delivered in 2025.
• Equip Southern Glazer’s team members, suppliers and customers with the world’s best digital capabilities and data. Following the appointment of Chief Digital Officer Alan Wizemann in 2023, the company is building a more than 350-member digital team to support a new product and platform operating model for Southern Glazer’s to “effectively build, design, scale and operate best-in-class digital solutions.”

These announcements follow the company’s 2023 appointment of Mike McLaughlin as its Chief Transformation Officer.

“To achieve our vision and execute on our strategy, we are making significant, strategic investments for the future — setting Southern Glazer’s up for success for generations to come,” company CEO Wayne Chaplin said in a news release. “We are making these investments now despite soft market conditions to position us for when the environment bounces back.”

“To ensure we keep pace with evolving needs of our customers and suppliers in the rapidly changing wine and spirits industry, our functional leadership teams are collaborating and have begun to implement the resources and capital required to successfully execute against the first wave of our strategic initiatives,” Chaplin added.