Southern Glazer’s launches new Canadian wine division

The US’ largest drinks distributor, Southern Glazer’s, has launched a new wine division for its Canadian subsidiary business in a bid to grow its wine distribution across Canada.

The new wine division of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Canada comprises a dedicated sales team targeting both the on-trade and off-trade in Canada, the company said.

Doug Wieland, Southern Glazer’s executive vice president and general manager of Canada said there was an “enormous opportunity” to grow the wine business on the back of its “extensive” Canadian customer base.

“Wine is an important part of our overall growth strategy in the market and we’ll continue to leverage our strength in this segment and make investments that bring even more focused attention to wine in Canada,” he said.

Scott Oppenheimer, president of control states and Canada said it was just one of several new initiatives to drive growth and long-term profitability in Canada.

The company operates in 44 states in the US, as well as Canada and the Caribbean, employing around 20,000 people, it said.

Last year the Canadian branch of the distributor created an off-shoot of its business dedicated to cannabis products ahead of the country legalising the drug for recreational use.