- Signs multi-year agreement with Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Republic National Distributing Company, National Wine & Spirits, and Johnson Brothers Liquor Company in key markets -

VICTOR, N.Y., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ, ASX: CBR), the world's leading wine company, announced today the signing of multi-year distribution agreements with Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), National Wine & Spirits and Johnson Brothers Liquor Company, which will result in new appointments for 19 states in the U.S. Each distributor has the exclusive right to sell Constellation's U.S. portfolio of wines and spirits in its market. Specifically:

• Southern will have exclusive distribution rights in nine markets, consisting of Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Pennsylvania
• Republic National Distributing Company will have exclusive distribution rights in eight markets, consisting of Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Washington D.C.
• National Wine & Spirits will have exclusive distribution rights in Indiana.
• Johnson Brothers Liquor Company will have exclusive distribution rights in Iowa.
  

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The realignment of Constellation's distributor network consolidates over half of its U.S. wine and spirits business to one distributor per market, creating a number of benefits for Constellation, its distributors and its customers. This fundamentally different distribution model is structured to improve organic growth through deeper, highly-aligned distributor relationships, fully dedicated distributor teams and divisions focusing exclusively on Constellation's portfolio and priorities, and improved coordination of marketing and promotional programs that support the brands. In addition, Constellation and its distributors will be able to offer Constellation's full, powerful brand portfolio through a single distributor to retailers in the 19 markets. Additionally, Constellation will continue to work with and support its distributors in the remaining markets around the country.

"This is a new beginning for our U.S. business and an important moment in Constellation's history. It represents the culmination of an 18-month transformation within the U.S., during which we created an incredibly powerful portfolio of premium, consumer-preferred wine and spirits brands and now have carefully selected distributors for our next wave of growth. Our new go-to-market strategy, and its inherent emphasis on driving organic growth in a growing category, is the natural next step for us and our distributors," said Rob Sands, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Brands.