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The decline of drinking claims another victim as second-largest US liquor distributor goes bankrupt
Link
" One of America's oldest wine and liquor distributors has filed for bankruptcy after more than 125 years in business, blaming shifting drinking habits, soaring costs and an increasingly difficult wholesale market for its downfall.
Republic National Distributing Company, once the nation's second-largest wine and spirits distributor, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday and will begin an orderly wind down of its remaining operations.
The filing marks a stunning reversal for a company whose roots stretch back to 1898, surviving through Prohibition, multiple recessions and generations of change in the alcohol industry.
The company said the bankruptcy covers all remaining corporate and distribution operations that it still owns outside of its joint ventures.
'This decision was not made lightly,' Republic said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy.
'Our industry has evolved, consumer preferences have shifted and the wholesale environment has grown increasingly challenging,' read the statement.
According to court filings, Republic has between $500 million and $1 billion in assets, but liabilities estimated at between $1 billion and $10 billion. The filing lists more than 100,000 creditors.
The distributor said it chose a court-supervised Chapter 11 process to provide the flexibility 'to continue working with parties that have expressed an interest in acquiring our other markets.'
The company stressed that it had already taken 'deliberate steps' to transition many of its operations to preserve more than 5,000 jobs.
'As we move through this process, we intend to continue to meet our obligations under certain transition service agreements related to the previously disclosed sales of certain of our operations,' the company said.
'We have received a commitment for financing from certain of our lenders to support the business during the Chapter 11 process.'
Republic's troubles have been building for years.
The distributor had already exited California last year, blaming 'rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes' for making business in the state unsustainable.
At the time, Republic CEO Bob Hendrickson said the company was 'using this moment to sharpen our focus and reinvest in the markets where we're best positioned to grow.'
This year the company sold distribution operations across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., Oregon and Washington to rivals including Reyes Beverage Group and Columbia Distributing.
The bankruptcy comes as the alcohol industry grapples with one of its toughest periods in decades.
According to court documents, alcohol consumption has fallen sharply since 2022, with the proportion of US adults who identify as regular drinkers reaching its lowest level in nearly 90 years.
The post-pandemic return to bars and restaurants also left many distributors with excess inventory after demand for alcohol purchased for home consumption cooled dramatically.
Higher interest rates, persistent inflation and changing consumer habits have compounded the pressure, while major suppliers have increasingly shifted their business elsewhere.
Between 2022 and 2025, Republic lost several key supplier relationships that together accounted for more than $3 billion in annual revenue.
Brands including Tito's Handmade Vodka, Brown-Forman and High Noon all moved distribution to competitors.
Industry experts warn the fallout could extend well beyond Republic.
David Kozlowski, a partner in the bankruptcy, restructuring and governance practice at Morrison Cohen LLP, told Inc. that smaller suppliers could now face serious financial pressure.
'Smaller suppliers who don't have leverage ... could be in real financial distress, as any significant prepetition exposure could put them in a hole that's simply too deep to climb out of,' Kozlowski said.
'A spate of smaller bankruptcies in the industry could follow over the next twelve months.'
Founded in Pensacola, Florida, in 1898 as N. Goldring Corporation, Republic became the state's first licensed beer distributor before expanding into one of the largest alcohol wholesalers in America.
Following its merger with National Distributing Company in 2007, the business grew into a distribution powerhouse spanning around 40 states and generating roughly $12 billion in annual revenue at its peak. "
Link
" One of America's oldest wine and liquor distributors has filed for bankruptcy after more than 125 years in business, blaming shifting drinking habits, soaring costs and an increasingly difficult wholesale market for its downfall.
Republic National Distributing Company, once the nation's second-largest wine and spirits distributor, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday and will begin an orderly wind down of its remaining operations.
The filing marks a stunning reversal for a company whose roots stretch back to 1898, surviving through Prohibition, multiple recessions and generations of change in the alcohol industry.
The company said the bankruptcy covers all remaining corporate and distribution operations that it still owns outside of its joint ventures.
'This decision was not made lightly,' Republic said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy.
'Our industry has evolved, consumer preferences have shifted and the wholesale environment has grown increasingly challenging,' read the statement.
According to court filings, Republic has between $500 million and $1 billion in assets, but liabilities estimated at between $1 billion and $10 billion. The filing lists more than 100,000 creditors.
The distributor said it chose a court-supervised Chapter 11 process to provide the flexibility 'to continue working with parties that have expressed an interest in acquiring our other markets.'
The company stressed that it had already taken 'deliberate steps' to transition many of its operations to preserve more than 5,000 jobs.
'As we move through this process, we intend to continue to meet our obligations under certain transition service agreements related to the previously disclosed sales of certain of our operations,' the company said.
'We have received a commitment for financing from certain of our lenders to support the business during the Chapter 11 process.'
Republic's troubles have been building for years.
The distributor had already exited California last year, blaming 'rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes' for making business in the state unsustainable.
At the time, Republic CEO Bob Hendrickson said the company was 'using this moment to sharpen our focus and reinvest in the markets where we're best positioned to grow.'
This year the company sold distribution operations across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., Oregon and Washington to rivals including Reyes Beverage Group and Columbia Distributing.
The bankruptcy comes as the alcohol industry grapples with one of its toughest periods in decades.
According to court documents, alcohol consumption has fallen sharply since 2022, with the proportion of US adults who identify as regular drinkers reaching its lowest level in nearly 90 years.
The post-pandemic return to bars and restaurants also left many distributors with excess inventory after demand for alcohol purchased for home consumption cooled dramatically.
Higher interest rates, persistent inflation and changing consumer habits have compounded the pressure, while major suppliers have increasingly shifted their business elsewhere.
Between 2022 and 2025, Republic lost several key supplier relationships that together accounted for more than $3 billion in annual revenue.
Brands including Tito's Handmade Vodka, Brown-Forman and High Noon all moved distribution to competitors.
Industry experts warn the fallout could extend well beyond Republic.
David Kozlowski, a partner in the bankruptcy, restructuring and governance practice at Morrison Cohen LLP, told Inc. that smaller suppliers could now face serious financial pressure.
'Smaller suppliers who don't have leverage ... could be in real financial distress, as any significant prepetition exposure could put them in a hole that's simply too deep to climb out of,' Kozlowski said.
'A spate of smaller bankruptcies in the industry could follow over the next twelve months.'
Founded in Pensacola, Florida, in 1898 as N. Goldring Corporation, Republic became the state's first licensed beer distributor before expanding into one of the largest alcohol wholesalers in America.
Following its merger with National Distributing Company in 2007, the business grew into a distribution powerhouse spanning around 40 states and generating roughly $12 billion in annual revenue at its peak. "
Scientifically supported fact.
People who enjoy dark humor often share distinct psychological traits, including higher verbal and nonverbal intelligence, lower baseline aggression, and greater emotional resilience. Scientific studies show that processing morbid or taboo topics requires advanced cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation.
It's hitting us down here in southern Sonora. It's always hot this time of year, but even the old-timers are saying this is different. I have seen my digital thermometer seize up at around 128F outside in the sun. Temps well above 110F are not uncommon.
I walked into the house awhile back after working outside until noon. It's an old adobe with a dirt roof, so well insulated. I was surprised at how "cool" it felt inside compared to outside, then I looked at the inside thermometer and it was 90F. Yeah, 90F felt cool after coming in from outside...
I left a digital thermometer in my truck a few days ago and it seized up at 158F. Of course, this was in a closed vehicle, which helps you see why children and pets die.
From about 10:00a to about 5:00pm our little village is dead; nobody is out and about. The one room in our house with a/c (our bedroom) is a sanctuary.
Do you have swamp coolers down there?
speeding_infraction
TJ Addict
Just cured my depression, I feel much better now that I'm supposedly smart lol
Some folks have them, but they are really of no use during the rainy season, and the rainy season is when it's hottest as humidity is pretty high.
It gets hot here pretty much from mid-March through October. Through March, April and May, a swamp cooler would work, but rains start in late June or July and continue until September (if we have a good rainy season, which is critical to the cattle and agricultural work here). During that period, it is not only hot but often quite humid, so a swamp cooler would just make it muggier.
We have an a/c in the bedroom and that is our one reprieve.
Well, there is this aspect of it, as well. It can be frustrating...
... like two weeks into the scamdemic. That whole damned fiasco took some very dark humor to get through.
I bet whoever come up with this enjoys dark humor and was trying to make themselves feel better.
It however did not work for me, in fact I am now depressed because dark humor is the only trait listed I possess.
It would appear that she is trying to sell this abomination on TikTok...
View: https://x.com/saras76/status/2082650679147897155
View: https://x.com/saras76/status/2082650679147897155
View: %5BURL%5D%5BURL%5Dhttps://x.com/tpostmillennial/status/2083711400975978728?s=46&t=hYPw4S-sEJKiSEcnCOWIIQ[/URL][/URL]
View: %5BURL%5D%5BURL%5Dhttps://x.com/tpostmillennial/status/2083679188830302286?s=46&t=hYPw4S-sEJKiSEcnCOWIIQ[/URL][/URL]
View: https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2083727228999762420?s=46&t=hYPw4S-sEJKiSEcnCOWIIQ
View: %5BURL%5D%5BURL%5Dhttps://x.com/grok/status/2083729437892182298?s=46&t=hYPw4S-sEJKiSEcnCOWIIQ[/URL][/URL]
View: %5BURL%5Dhttps://x.com/TelsaTim_All_In/status/2083731716951199968?s=20[/URL]
KennethS
TJ Expert
Another weekend, another mountain rescue.
The National Weather Service data shows it was 100 degrees at 8 am and 108 degrees at 11 am.
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/08/01...f-phoenix-mountain-trail-during-extreme-heat/
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A child is recovering after overheating while hiking with his parents on Camelback Mountain in Phoenix late Saturday morning.
Around 11 a.m., Phoenix firefighters responded to the Echo Canyon Trailhead after reports of a hiker experiencing a medical emergency.
Crews found the boy suffering from heat exhaustion and used a “big wheel”, a stretcher with a single wheel attached to the bottom, to transport him down the mountain to a waiting ambulance.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
An Extreme Heat Warning and First Alert Weather Days remain in effect through Monday. Highs Saturday are forecast to reach 116 degrees, with Sunday’s high expected to hit 115 degrees.
The National Weather Service data shows it was 100 degrees at 8 am and 108 degrees at 11 am.
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/08/01...f-phoenix-mountain-trail-during-extreme-heat/
Overheated child rescued off Phoenix mountain trail during extreme heat
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A child is recovering after overheating while hiking with his parents on Camelback Mountain in Phoenix late Saturday morning.
Around 11 a.m., Phoenix firefighters responded to the Echo Canyon Trailhead after reports of a hiker experiencing a medical emergency.
Crews found the boy suffering from heat exhaustion and used a “big wheel”, a stretcher with a single wheel attached to the bottom, to transport him down the mountain to a waiting ambulance.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
An Extreme Heat Warning and First Alert Weather Days remain in effect through Monday. Highs Saturday are forecast to reach 116 degrees, with Sunday’s high expected to hit 115 degrees.
I honestly don't get it. It's been over 100 here for a couple weeks and I've just abandoned hope of doing anything outside. I don't get why anyone would want to, let alone think it's a good idea, to undergo heavy exertion in those conditions, let alone take a kid to do it with you.
I am just staying inside, mostly in my air conditioned bedroom, between 10:00am and 5:00pm. Out for short jaunts to do a few things around the house, then in the cool again. This heat is brutal. I'm thinking that I probably should get up at about 4:00am, work until 9:00, then rest until about 6:00pm.
I had seen the "big wheel" mentioned in a couple of other reports but couldn't figure out what it was. One i'net search referred to the Sherp, but I knew that wasn't right. It's a pretty cool idea and must be really handy on those rough trails. Kind of like a wheelbarrow for a body. For the low, low price of $4,500.
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