Sales: $6 bn, 14 states, District of Columbia
Key brands: E&J Gallo, Diageo, Moët Hennessy
When Chicago’s Wirtz Beverage merged with Charmer Sunbelt at the end of 2015, the industry was stunned. Not only were the sixth- and third-biggest US wholesalers combining, but this was the first important merger or acquisition in almost a decade. In addition, Wirtz had been a fixture in Chicago since Prohibition, and the family owned the Chicago Blackhawks ice hockey team and the United Center arena, home to the Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls basketball team. The new company, called Breakthru Beverage, has more than 7,000 employees and is based in New York. And it’s on the prowl to get bigger – it has been trying to buy the $2bn Empire Merchants, an important New York state wholesaler.