Constellation Brands Announces Distribution Agreement With Young's Market Company

VICTOR, N.Y., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) (NYSE:ASX:) (NYSE:CBR) , the world's leading wine company, announced the signing of a multi-year distribution agreement with Young's Market Company and its affiliated companies ("Young's") as Constellation's exclusive distributor in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Young's, a recognized market leader in the Pacific Northwest, has a longstanding business relationship with Constellation. Constellation is currently Young's largest supplier in volume in the Pacific Northwest representing more than an estimated one million cases annually.

This agreement is part of Constellation's ongoing realignment of its distributor network which was announced on July 23. The Young's distribution agreement brings the total number of states benefiting from this new go-to-market strategy to 22, with 8 potential markets remaining. The decision to consolidate the majority of Constellation's U.S. wine and spirits business to one distributor per market was made with the goal of improving organic growth, creating distributor teams focused exclusively on Constellation's portfolio, and improving the coordination of marketing and promotional programs to support the brands.

Constellation's agreement with Young's will create better alignment of goals and priorities between the two companies improving performance and market execution for both.

"Our U.S. sales force and Young's sales force are completely aligned in these markets, which will ensure our products are in the right place and at the right price," said Rob Sands, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Brands. "Young's has been an important part of Constellation's success. We are excited to enter this new phase of our relationship and grow the business together."

Commenting on Young's expanded relationship with Constellation, Christopher Underwood, CEO of Young's Market Company, said, "Young's and its affiliated companies in the Pacific Northwest are delighted and honored to have been selected as Constellation Wines U.S. exclusive distribution partner in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. We believe that the expansion of our relationship in these markets is a reflection of the mutual respect that Young's and Constellation have for one another and we look forward to maintaining that relationship well into the future."