Statement of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition Regarding Announcement that Republic National Distributing Company and Breakthru Beverage Group have Terminated Their Acquisition Agreement

Republic National Distributing Company and Breakthru Beverage Group announced on April 5 that that they have abandoned their proposed merger.

“Staff of the Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Economics had been investigating the proposed transaction, and had informed RNDC and Breakthru Beverage of our significant concerns about likely anticompetitive harm if the transaction were completed,” said Ian R. Conner, Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Staff gathered extensive testimonial, documentary, and economic evidence to support our concerns that this transaction likely would have resulted in higher prices and diminished service in the distribution of wine and spirits in several states. The transaction likely would have adversely impacted suppliers of wine and spirits that depend on these distributors to promote and distribute their products, and retail and foodservice customers that purchase those products from RNDC and Breakthru. Now that the deal has been abandoned, consumers will continue to benefit from meaningful competition between RNDC and Breakthru Beverage.”

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