Just in time for your holiday toast, two of the country's largest privately-owned distributors of beer, wine and spirits are merging.
Republic National Distributing Company and Breakthru Beverage Group combined have $12 billion in annual sales, according to company reports.
Republic operates in 20 states plus the District of Columbia. Breakthru is in 13 states, across Canada, using subsidiary names like Breakthru Arizona.
Republic's director of corporate communications, Matt Freeman, said the new company will not have a physical headquarters but rather a virtual one, since executives reside across multiple states.
Principals said they hope the merger will provide leverage during competitive negotiations. Management also said better use of technology and innovation are needed in the industry.
Combined, the company will have almost 17,000 employees. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018.
