Miller Opposes “Single Distributor”

Not good for distributors or the industry, executive says.

LAS VEGAS – Miller Brewing Company’s top sales and distribution executive on Tuesday told an audience of beer distributors that the brewer opposes a single distributor system in which one player would control every brand in a market.

Tom Cardella, executive vice president of sales and distribution, said such a structure -- the subject of much speculation by industry analysts and pundits -- wouldn't be good for distributors, retailers, Miller or the industry.

The creation of a single system could weaken the three-tier structure by paving the way for direct shipping, Cardella said.

The single system also would mark an end to the legacy of many family-owned distributors.

It also would expand Anheuser-Busch's dominance of the industry, he said.

“Make no mistake: A-B would be calling the shots,” Cardella said.

Instead, Miller is committed to helping develop an increasingly strong distributor network. Among the ways it will seek to do this is by facilitating appropriate consolidation; increase efficiencies within distributor operations, such as a new e-commerce initiative; and refine its portfolio by bolstering its core brands and expanding its high-end offering of crafts, imports and new products.

For more about the single system, see the latest issue of Brew, "All the King's Beer."