• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich

3

Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink

1

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents

2

Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich

3

Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
RetailKroger

Why Big Alcohol Is Upset With Kroger Supermarkets

By
Claire Groden
Claire Groden
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Claire Groden
Claire Groden
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 29, 2016, 4:18 PM ET
Anheuser-Busch InBev NV Products Ahead Of Earnings Data
A customer shops near a display of Anheuser-Busch Budweiser brand beer in a supermarket in Princeton, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA is scheduled to report quarterly earnings before the market open on Friday, Oct. 31. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Kroger is shaking up the way it shelves alcohol, and the booze industry isn’t happy about it.

The major grocery store chain plans to hire a private distributor to oversee how it distributes shelf space to alcohol brands, according to The Wall Street Journal. That distributer, Southern Wine & Spirits, would unseat big producers like Anheuser-Busch InBev, which serve as “category captains” that advise Kroger in its arrangement of brands on store shelves.

Not only does the plan diminish the influence of major producers, but it asks them to pay the bills for Southern’s work. Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey said in an interview with Fortune that those quarterly fees will be voluntary, but that he thinks all producers will benefit from “unbiased plans that are customer- and data-driven.”

He says the plan primarily aims to improve Krogers’ stores responsiveness to customer demands. Currently, adult beverage shelving plans are switched up only once or twice each year. With Southern independently organizing the arrangements, popular brews can make it to shelves faster. “What does this look like? It’s more local craft brews, more regional wines, more innovative new products across the entire adult beverage spectrum,” Dailey said.

But producers and associations across the alcohol industry aren’t buying it. A number of them have complained to federal regulators, the Journal reported. And though Kroger says that this plan should benefit small craft brewers—who probably weren’t being favored in blueprints designed by major producers—many are concerned that the fees could be too much of a hurdle to ever get on the shelves. Southern estimates that the shelf-planning services will cost around $12 million annually.

Kroger made a similar switch in its dry goods section more than four years ago, when it decided to let one third-party group oversee shelf-planning for products like cereal and coffee. Dailey says it made Kroger more responsive to customers, especially when Keurig’s K-Cups burst onto the scene: “If we had at that time run our coffee category the way we still run our adult beverage, there’s a good chance our customers would have had to wait for K-Cups. It could have been months, it could have been a year.”

About the Author
By Claire Groden
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

ph
North AmericaDEI
How Pete Hegseth’s DEI order just put Scouting America’s future at stake
By Seth T. Kannarr, Derek H. Alderman and The ConversationJuly 13, 2026
4 hours ago
e
Arts & EntertainmentSocial Media
American influencers turn Erling Haaland into the World Cup’s breakout brand
By Kaitlyn Huamani and The Associated PressJuly 13, 2026
7 hours ago
German carmakers are suffering some of their worst declines ever in China as Q2 sales plunge 30%-41%
AsiaAutos
German carmakers are suffering some of their worst declines ever in China as Q2 sales plunge 30%-41%
By Chan Ho-Him and The Associated PressJuly 11, 2026
2 days ago
A 12-person PR firm represents De Niro, Pacino, and billion-dollar clients. Its founder says the secret is staying small
SuccessPublic relations
A 12-person PR firm represents De Niro, Pacino, and billion-dollar clients. Its founder says the secret is staying small
By Sydney LakeJuly 11, 2026
3 days ago
A $5 hair tie, a sold-out dress, cake and a fast-food order: How fans chase closeness to Erling Haaland, Taylor Swift and other celebrities
Arts & EntertainmentWorld Cup
A $5 hair tie, a sold-out dress, cake and a fast-food order: How fans chase closeness to Erling Haaland, Taylor Swift and other celebrities
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 11, 2026
3 days ago
Raising Cane's counter with a goal soccer ball logo
RetailFood and drink
The Raising Cane’s co-CEO has seen those World Cup fans praising the chicken and sauce. He’s ‘pretty grateful’ to have ‘chicken fanatics’ worldwide
By Catherina GioinoJuly 10, 2026
4 days ago

Most Popular

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
Innovation
The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 12, 2026
1 day ago
Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
Big Tech
Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 12, 2026
1 day ago
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
Personal Finance
Trump embraces Australian retirement system backed by Larry Fink
By Brianna Sosa and BloombergJuly 12, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 13, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 13, 2026
13 hours ago
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
7 days ago
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
Environment
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 10, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.