Daily Industry Digest — Sunday, July 12, 2026
Reyes keeps absorbing the post-RNDC map: Sazerac moves its full spirits/RTD portfolio to Reyes in Colorado, and Wilson Daniels realigns to Reyes (7 states) and Johnson Brothers (5 states). Southern Glazer's confirms ~1% U.S.
- Reyes keeps absorbing the post-RNDC map: Sazerac moves its full spirits/RTD portfolio to Reyes in Colorado, and Wilson Daniels realigns to Reyes (7 states) and Johnson Brothers (5 states).
- Southern Glazer's confirms ~1% U.S. workforce cut (~219 roles) as it shifts independents to a hybrid digital-sales model — and rebrands to "Southern Glazer's Beverage Co." this month.
- Target opens 11 more stores in July (on pace for ~30 in 2026) while winding down its Ulta shop-in-shops in August; Albertsons keeps trimming stores and cut 295 corporate jobs.
- Instacart tests a TikTok-style "Immersive Feed" vertical-video shopping surface as retail-media ad formats converge with social commerce.
- Retail media spend is tracking to ~$69–71B in 2026 (+~18%), and incrementality has overtaken ROAS as advertisers' No. 1 KPI (71%).
- Functional/protein launches keep coming: Starbucks bottled Coffee & Protein, Lumen's Cocolada at Sprouts, and continued prebiotic-soda expansion.
- Walmart Connect's Gen-AI creative tool is cutting median production time ~80%, as Amazon + Walmart absorb ~89% of net-new 2026 retail-media dollars.
UPDATE: Sazerac moves full spirits & RTD portfolio to Reyes in Colorado
Sazerac named Reyes Beverage Group's newly acquired RBG Spirits & Wine of Colorado as its distributor there (reported July 7–8), extending a multistate partnership that already spans California, Texas and Hawaii, plus…
Wilson Daniels realigns to Reyes (7 states) and Johnson Brothers (5 states) in former RNDC markets
The fine-wine importer/marketer announced (July 8–9) new distribution alignments spreading its portfolio across Reyes and Johnson Brothers in states vacated by RNDC's exit.
UPDATE: Southern Glazer's to cut ~1% of U.S. workforce (~219 roles) in digital-sales shift; rebrand to "Southern Glazer's Beverage Co." this month
The distributor said (announced July 7) it will move certain independent customers to a "hybrid" model blending field sales, inside sales and its Proof Commerce digital platform via a new Customer Solutions Team, and…
Southern Glazer's expanding total-beverage footprint via Eagle Rock (CO) and Clare Rose (NY) deals
SGWS is acquiring Eagle Rock Distributing's Colorado operations — bringing Anheuser-Busch's full portfolio (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light, Budweiser, Bud Light) plus Tilray and Sazerac brands — with the Colorado deal…
KeHE and INFRA renew for 10 years
KeHE Distributors and the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) signed a 10-year contract renewal (reported July 2026).
Target opens 11 new stores in July; winds down Ulta partnership in August
The 11 openings span AZ, CA, CO, FL, KY, MA, SC, SD, TX and UT (six over 140,000 sq ft with expanded fresh food), part of a ~30-store 2026 plan and a longer goal of 300 by 2035; separately, Target is ending its 600+ Ulta…
UPDATE: Albertsons keeps closing stores and cuts 295 corporate jobs
Roughly a dozen 2026 closures (Safeway, Vons, Acme, Randalls banners) across CA, TX, NJ, CT, NV and D.C. follow the collapsed Kroger merger, alongside 295 corporate/divisional layoffs.
Kroger pursues Giant Eagle acquisition
The proposed deal marks Kroger's first attempt to buy another supermarket operator since the failed Albertsons merger, even as Kroger works through ~60 planned underperforming-store closures over 18 months.
Sprouts accelerates expansion vs. Whole Foods
Sprouts plans at least 40 new stores in 2026 and 30–40 in New England by 2028 (from ~495 U.S. stores today), pushing toward a 1,000-store national goal.
Costco leads club-channel natural growth; ends co-branded Kirkland/Deschutes beer
Club (Costco, Sam's, BJ's) posted the fastest natural-channel growth of eight channels, with Costco adding ~23 stores and $642M of the sector's $688M gain; separately, Deschutes' co-branded Kirkland Signature beers are…
Functional/protein launches keep multiplying
Starbucks is rolling out bottled Coffee & Protein drinks (22g protein, 5g prebiotic fiber, 2g sugar); Lumen is launching a tropical "Cocolada" sparkling protein drink (16g protein/12 oz) nationwide at Sprouts; Oikos…
UPDATE: GLP-1 households on track for ~35% of food-and-beverage units by 2030
New 2026 analyses (J.P. Morgan, eMarketer) project ~25M U.S. GLP-1 users by 2030; GLP-1 households show lower grocery bills and fewer impulse snack runs but skew toward premium, protein- and fiber-dense products.
Olipop launches first national ad campaign; category legal scrutiny continues
Olipop (valued ~$1.85B) debuted "Real Love Makes Us" starring Camila Cabello, while gut-health advertising claims remain under legal pressure across the prebiotic-soda set (Poppi's $8.9M settlement; a separate Olipop…
PepsiCo builds out prebiotic and protein platforms
Following the ~$1.95B Poppi deal, PepsiCo's Pepsi Prebiotic Cola (3g fiber, 5g cane sugar, 30 cal) has moved into retail, and the company is fielding a science-led 2026 protein-beverage range.
Instacart tests "Immersive Feed," a TikTok-style vertical-video shopping surface
The in-app feed lets shoppers discover meal ideas, recipes and trends via short-form video and add ingredients directly to cart, giving advertisers a shoppable video format inside the grocery journey.
Walmart Connect, DoorDash and Kroger expand off-site and programmatic reach
Recent moves (June 2026): Walmart Connect opened Vizio inventory via Yahoo DSP, launched self-service Meta campaigns built on Walmart shopper data, and extended LiveRamp clean-room measurement to Meta; DoorDash Ads added…
Walmart Connect's Gen-AI creative tool cuts production time ~80%; Amazon + Walmart dominate net-new dollars
Walmart's Automated Creative Generation produces ready-to-activate creative (including AI lifestyle backgrounds) in minutes; Amazon and Walmart held ~87.7% of 2025 U.S.
Incrementality overtakes ROAS as the top retail-media KPI
71% of advertisers now rank incrementality as their No. 1 retail-media metric; benchmarks put CPG/grocery ROAS at ~3–5x, and a Mondelēz matched-market test reported $2.41 incremental ROAS with a 14% in-store sales lift…
- Ex-RNDC territory reassignments — which supplier books land with Reyes vs. Johnson Brothers vs. Southern Glazer's/Breakthru in the coming weeks.
- Whether Southern Glazer's "Beverage Co." rebrand accelerates further beer/RTD/non-alc distributor acquisitions.
- Kroger–Giant Eagle regulatory path post-Albertsons.
- Legal outcomes on prebiotic-soda gut-health claims (Olipop class action) as functional-soda advertising scales.
- Instacart Immersive Feed rollout and whether Amazon/Walmart match with shoppable vertical video.
- KDP direct-distribution buildout in CA/NV after the Reyes Coca-Cola franchise non-renewal.
Southern Glazer's to Acquire Eagle Rock Distributing Co.SGWS Newsroom
News Alert: Reyes Gains Sazerac In CO, Expanding Multistate PartnershipShanken News Daily
Sazerac Moves Spirits, RTD Portfolio to Reyes in ColoradoBevNET
Wilson Daniels Aligns with Reyes (7 States) and Johnson Brothers (5 States)PR Newswire
Southern Glazer's to axe 1% of jobs in USThe Spirits Business
Organic Spirits Company Signs Deals with KeHE, UNFIProgressive Grocer
Target plans to open 11 stores in JulyGrocery Dive
87-year-old retail grocery giant lays off hundreds amid closures (Albertsons)TheStreet
Starbucks continues to go all in on protein with new bottled Coffee & ProteinStarbucks Stories
PepsiCo unveils science-led 2026 protein beverage rangeNew Food Magazine
PepsiCo launches prebiotic colaFood Dive
Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart weave commerce into discovery and conversationeMarketer
The Next Generation of AI-Powered Retail Media with Walmart ConnectWalmart Connect
Best Retail Media ROAS 2026: Platform & Industry BenchmarksOsmos