Darden Restaurants Inc., owners of Red Lobster and Olive Garden, announced that they will acquire the Yard House restaurant chain for $585 million in cash. Yard House, which is based in Irvine, Calif., is owned by the private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners and other investors. The deal is expected to close by November. The… Read More…

The St. Louis-based spirits and beer distributor Major Brands has reached a deal with Anheuser-Busch to buy Eagle Brands, A-B’s directly owned distributorship in Miami. Florida law required that AB relinquish its majority ownership in its Miami branch and AB has been looking for a suitable buyer. The agreement gives the wholesaler a new territory,… Read More…

Central Ohio’s oldest beer distributorship, Hill Distributing Co. may soon sell. Cincinnati-based Heidelberg Distributing Co. announced yesterday that it had an agreement in place to buy the Columbus distributor founded by Charlie Hill in May 1933, a month after the end of Prohibition. Hill is an “all-other” house selling some heritage domestic brands, a few… Read More…

Southern Wine & Spirits announced that they will buy the balance of Odom Corp out of the two companies’ distribution joint-venture. The deal ends three years of co-operation between the two firms in the states of Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming and Utah. SWS is about to open a 350,000-square-foot distribution center in the… Read More…

From the Chicago Tribune; Anheuser-Busch Cos.’ attempt to gain more control over its distribution in Illinois has taken a twist that could burn the beer giant. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission is considering whether Anheuser-Busch should have to divest its 30 percent ownership of Chicago-based City Beverage, one of the country’s largest beer wholesalers, which… Read More…

Anheuser-Busch InBev has reached a deal with St. Louis-based Major Brands to buy back an Oregon beer distributorship that it sold less than three years ago. The agreement will return ownership of Western Beverage Co. in Eugene, Ore., to A-B InBev within the next two months, confirmed Tony Short, who leads Major Brands’ beer division…. Read More…

K&L Distributors of Renton, WA announced that it will sell its regional beer wholesaling business to King Beverage of Spokane in January. K&L Distributors in Alaska is not part of the deal. The deal will roughly double King Beverage’s annual distribution to about 12 million cases.

Young’s and Republic to merge operations Young’s Market Company and Republic National Distributing Company jointly announced last week that they will merge distribution operations in Arizona. The transaction is expected to close on August 1. The name of the combined venture will be “Young’s Market Company Southwest, LLC” and the President of the new venture… Read More…

DC’s famous Brickskeller rumored to close this month According various news articles and blog reports, the famed Brickskeller in Washington, DC will be closing soon. Apparently due to the sale of the building, reports have said that the closing date could be as early as Dec. 18th. The building will apparently be remodeled into a… Read More…

St. Louis A-B distributor acquires wine and spirits house. Lohr Distributing Co., the Anheuser-Busch Distributor in the city of St. Louis, has purchased nearby distributor Gateway Wine & Spirits. The move unusual in that the A-B wholesaler located in A-B ground zero St. Louis is expanding into a brand portfolio that will include wines and… Read More…