Anheuser-Busch InBev today announced it has agreed to purchase R. Ippolito Distributing, a 700,000 case A-B wholesaler based in Staten Island, New York.
The transaction is expected to “close shortly” and specific terms were not disclosed.
“Ippolito Distributing has been a good business partner with successful, well-run operations, skilled employees and it sells primarily Anheuser-Busch brands, all factors that aligned with our strategy and interests, once we learned Ippolito wanted to sell,” Bob Tallett, A-B InBev’s vice president of business and wholesaler development said in a prepared statement.
A-B already owns and operates the Bronx-based wholesale outfit “Anheuser-Busch Sales of New York,” which delivers beer to Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. Tallett said the Ippolito purchase “complements” the company’s “existing urban footprint.”
“For 26 years, Anheuser-Busch has proudly served New York as a licensed beer distributor, and this agreement further reflects our commitment to New York,” Tallett said. “We are eager to meet with Ippolito employees and to become a part of the Staten Island community.”
Today’s announcement comes less than two months after Manhattan Beer Distributors completed its purchase of Brooklyn’s Windmill Distributing. That deal closed on June 1, according to a company official.