Bar Wars II
Editor’s Note: If you haven’t read Sunday’s post, Bar Wars, you may want to do that first before going through this one.
As I wrote Sunday, there is legislation pending in the Indiana General Assembly that could potentially give a virtual monopoly on alcohol distribution to one Indiana company, thus leading to potential higher prices and a serious court challenge on Constitutional grounds.
The company, National Wine and Spirits, sent an e-mail out to its customers asking them to support HB 1191, which would force an alcohol wholesaler who gets a contract from a supplier to reimburse the previous holder of that contract for any lost business. I obtained a copy of the e-mail. Here is it…
What YOU can do to help keep Southern Wine & Spirits out of IndianaFriends,Over the past 37 years, National Wine & Spirits has earned successes that I could never have imagined – all at the hands of a terrific and committed team. Some of you have been with us from the very beginning, others have just recently joined. All of you are important members of the National family.As you are probably aware, Southern Wine & Spirits is actively trying to enter the Indiana market, steal our suppliers, and put us out of business. We are doing everything possible to fight them off. Currently, we are driving legislation (Senate Bill #244 & House Bill #1191) that will help level the playing field in wine & spirits wholesaling, making it much more difficult for Southern to lure our suppliers away.To help in this effort, we are asking you to sign and provide some supporting comments that a Representative or Senator might be interested in knowing through an online petition http://www.PetitionOnline.com/244y1191/petition.html.We hope everyone will “click” their support, and pass on the link to friends, family, and customers. We will use this (the votes and the comments) with the legislature at different times during the session – starting as soon as next week, so please take a moment to rally for the cause, sign the petition and spread the word. Names of those who sign on will not be made public.Nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our people. We must show the state legislature that Indiana citizens want to keep this business headquartered and continuing to serve Indiana like no other.Please sign the petition by going to the following website: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/244y1191/petition.html.Sincerely,Jim LaCrosse
As I mentioned in my previous post, it’s one thing if an alcohol supplier and retalier put a provision in a contract that if it’s terminated, one party must reimburse the other. It’s another thing to make that a government mandate by etching that provision into state law.
