Case Study: Southern Wine And Spirits

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States. The organization represents more than 1,500 wine, beer, and spirits suppliers from around the world, offering nearly 5,000 different brands to its customers. On a national basis, it employs more than 10,000 team members.

With operations in 29 states and annual sales of $7B, Southern Wine & Spirits has more than 200,000 customers and ships over 70M cases per year. Boasting 650,000 square feet of warehouse space and capacity for two million cases, its Lakeland Distribution Center in Lakeland, Florida is the nation's largest wine and spirits wholesale facility. The warehouse spans 14 football fields and has a planned future expansion of 400,000 additional square feet. In 2008, it shipped 13.5M cases to 17,000 customers, representing more than $1.5B in revenue.