WASHINGTON, D.C., 02/02/2021 – WSWA Services, LLC, an affiliate of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), announced today that strategic partner Drizly, the leading technology platform that enables on-demand alcohol delivery from local, licensed alcohol retailers, has agreed to be acquired by Uber. This deal is the largest to-date for the alcohol industry’s growing ecommerce marketplace that has been accelerated by the pandemic and a consumer shift to at-home consumption.
“From the start, Drizly created a superior mobile shopping experience for beer, wine and spirits. Drizly’s ecommerce solution worked with, instead of disrupted, a proven and successful alcohol distribution system of producers, wholesalers, and retailers. America’s family-owned wine and spirits wholesalers were proud to align with Drizly because its e-commerce model focused on providing a turn-key platform for local retailer delivery,” said Danny Wirtz, WSWA’s Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Breakthru Beverage Group. “When you combine the decades of wine and spirits wholesaler logistics, sales and branding experience with a dynamic technological platform at a time when consumers have shifted their consumption habits from on-premise to at home, the alcohol industry has taken the 21st Amendment into the 21st Century with the click of a mouse,” Wirtz added.
WSWA has long championed a smartly-regulated system in the U.S. that promotes consumer convenience through compliant methods such as local and licensed delivery of alcohol. Local, licensed delivery supports the entire alcohol ecosystem – producers, distributors, and especially local retailers. Keeping alcohol delivery local enables state regulators to maximize limited resources to oversee underage access and tax collection, as well as protect the supply chain from counterfeit products, all important elements that can be compromised by shipping alcohol across state lines.
“Uber and Drizly are a great team. These two companies are the market leaders in quenching the consumer’s demand for an online shopping experience and doorstep convenience while meeting important regulatory requirements that have served consumers, the alcohol industry and the safety and health of the public for many years,” said WSWA President and CEO Michelle Korsmo. We congratulate Drizly for working with state systems throughout the country to create a successful model of ecommerce based on local, licensed delivery within a smartly-regulated system of alcohol that should not be compromised,” concluded Korsmo.
About Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
WSWA is the national trade association representing the distribution tier of the wine and spirits industry, dedicated to advancing the interests and independence of distributors and brokers of wine and spirits. Founded in 1943, WSWA has more than 380 member companies in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and its members distribute more than 80 percent of all wine and spirits sold at wholesale in the United States.
To learn more, please visit www.wswa.org or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
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