Southern Glazer’s Commercial Service Model Evolves to Align with Business Trends and Customer Engagement Patterns

MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer’s) – the world’s preeminent total beverage distributor – today shared changes to its commercial service model across the Company’s U.S. network to align the business with changing market trends and customer engagement patterns.

Southern Glazer’s is continually refining its commercial sales approach to reflect changes in the independent customer landscape and evolving preferences for how customers engage. That continuous improvement process has resulted in a new model that, effective immediately, will service certain independent customers through a hybrid approach that combines field sales, inside sales, and digital commerce. These areas working together within Southern Glazer’s commercial and operational ecosystem are designed to better support the varying needs of independent customers. With this new model, Southern Glazer’s has strategically designated an additional one percent of its independent customer base to be served by a newly redesigned inside sales team that will be called the “Customer Solutions Team,” as well as the company’s industry-leading Proof® Commerce platform, two areas that continue to accelerate demand and growth.

To facilitate these changes, Southern Glazer’s is tapping into its repository of nationwide data, as well as its cutting-edge digital tools, to reimagine its national commercial selling model to create a more effective and efficient solution that improves service for customers, all while maximizing earnings potential for its sales force.

With significant investments in digital capabilities through the company’s Proof® Sales and Commerce platforms, Southern Glazer’s sales personnel and customers have greater access to data and insights at their fingertips, enabling them to more efficiently drive growth. The redesigned and expanded “Customer Solutions Team” has been reimagined to reflect the important role this team will play in supporting certain independent customers with transactions, consultative selling, and digital commerce tools.

These realignments will affect a portion of Southern Glazer’s U.S. commercial workforce. The Company’s intent is to place as many impacted employees as possible into the many open roles currently available across the organization. We expect these efforts to result in a net reduction of approximately one percent of our U.S. workforce.

“The marketplace is clearly signaling us to think differently about how we operate and best serve a portion of independent customers,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, President & CEO. “We are redirecting our resources where the business is moving and towards areas of growth, all while listening to our customers and individual markets to satisfy their needs and using AI to help us adapt to a changing market. Ultimately, this new hybrid approach will create a more responsive and effective customer support model, while improving the earning opportunity and retention for our talented commercial sales organization. We are committed to supporting our customers and continuing to provide the strongest portfolio of brands, deepest insights, and the most highly trained salesforce in the industry.”

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the preeminent total beverage distributor, building brands for moments that matter. The multi-generational, family-owned Company has operations in 47 U.S. markets and Canada, as well as brokerage operations through its Southern Glazer’s Travel Retail Sales & Export Division in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In 2026, Southern Glazer’s was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Culture, Belonging & Community. In 2025, Southern Glazer’s was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram @sgwinespirits.