Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Provi have ended a three-year legal battle that could redefine how alcoholic beverages move through the U.S. wholesale system.
The settlement not only resolves a high-profile antitrust dispute but also establishes a new precedent for digital access and online marketplaces in one of the most tightly regulated sectors of B2B commerce.
In a joint statement they released Oct. 15, the companies confirmed that “Provi’s marketplace is now a permitted form of ordering for the Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits beverage alcohol portfolio.”
That language effectively grants Provi official standing as an approved digital commerce channel. Provi is the largest business-to-business (B2B) alcohol marketplace in the United States. Retailers, restaurants and bars will now be able to place orders for Southern Glazer’s extensive portfolio directly through Provi’s platform. That marks a significant shift in an industry that has long favored proprietary distributor systems and manual workflows.
End of Provi and Southern Glazer’s legal battle
The settlement concludes a federal antitrust case Provi filed in 2022. In it, Provi alleged that major distributors including Southern Glazer’s and Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) restricted access to independent marketplaces to protect their own digital ecosystems.
While both companies denied the charges, a federal judge’s 2024 decision to let the case proceed raised broader questions about competitive fairness and innovation in digital ordering. RNDC settled earlier this year. Until mid-October, that left Southern Glazer’s as the final holdout.
For Provi, the resolution validates its model — an open digital marketplace connecting licensed buyers, distributors and suppliers nationwide. Provi’s platform consolidates product catalogs, price comparisons and electronic ordering in a single interface, like how Amazon Business or Faire streamline B2B purchases across other sectors.
Its inclusion of Southern Glazer’s now extends digital reach across one of the world’s largest beverage portfolios, encompassing thousands of brands and 47 U.S. markets.
Effect of Southern Glazer’s settlement with Provi
Analysts say the move signals a broader acceleration of digital transformation in wholesale alcohol.
Restaurants, bars and independent retailers increasingly expect the same frictionless purchasing experience they encounter in business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce. For distributors, embracing third-party digital platforms like Provi may be less about competition and more about meeting a rising industry standard for accessibility, compliance integration and operational efficiency.
Southern Glazer’s employs more than 20,000 people and generates billions in annual sales. It has historically served as a gatekeeper in the U.S. beverage supply chain. By formally recognizing Provi’s platform as a legitimate ordering channel, the company joins a growing number of B2B distributors that are integrating with independent digital marketplaces rather than competing against them. That ranges from industrial suppliers to foodservice and hospitality wholesalers.
Although financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed, the implications reach far beyond the courtroom. The agreement could open new opportunities for:
- Omnichannel ordering
- Digital price transparency
- Cross-market data analytics
All three are long-standing friction points in the beverage industry.
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