Retailers

The country’s second-largest grocery retail chain is reportedly moving into hemp THC drinks.

Two years after appointing dual CEOs, Cleveland, Ohio-based Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) is down to one, following the May departure of Steven Pauwels, who returned to his native Belgium to be closer to family, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported.

The end of Deschutes Brewery’s partnership with Costco may have come as a surprise to the general public, but the Bend, Oregon-headquartered craft brewery and its key partners were planning for this “off-ramp moment,” CEO Peter Skrbek told Brewbound.

Kroger has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire regional grocery chain Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion, marking the company’s first major acquisition since its proposed megamerger with Albertsons collapsed in 2024.

Mass retail giant Target is expanding sales of intoxicating hemp beverages, adding the products to stores in Florida, Texas and Illinois. 

Major bev-alc chains are expanding shelf space for hemp-derived THC beverages and non-alcoholic (NA) alternatives, while also catering to demand for high-ABV ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails and culturally-inspired flavors.

THC drinks will have an expanded potential retail set in Minnesota. Despite an existential timeline ticking on the category’s future, beverage retailers continue to add intoxicating hemp drinks to store shelves. Target is the latest to go deeper in the set…at least in its home state.

Perceived value is reality when it comes to beverage-alcohol sales in HMSHost’s more than 1,000 dining venues located in around 80 airports across the U.S., Tyler Pitman, SVP of concept development, brand partnerships and adult beverage shared earlier this month during Constellation Brands’ Gold Network Summit.

Convenience store retailers offered an optimistic outlook on 2026 beverage sales in Goldman Sachs’ Q4 Beverage Bytes retailer survey, which represents roughly 28% of the c-store channel (around 42,000 retail locations).

Total Wine & More has named retail veteran Ryan Ross its new CEO, concluding a four-month search.

Bev-alc retailers are adjusting their buying habits as the Trump administration’s signature economic policy continues to add volatility to the spirits and wine industries.

We chatted with Brianda Gonzalez, founder and CEO of The New Bar, about what’s next, where the hurdles are for ANA, and how ANA brands can take cues from their full-proof counterparts.

Non-alcoholic beer, Italian imports and fruit-forward offerings are just a few of the summer trends popping in Total Wine & More and Whole Foods Market stores. Total Wine’s Adrea Starr and Whole Foods Market’s Mary Guiver offered insights into what they’re seeing as summer sets in.

Resealable packages, smaller sizes and non-carbonated beverages are among the hot bev-alc trends Total Wine & More’s senior leadership team are watching in 2025.