Campari has hired Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to distribute its range of spirits in Canada.
The terms of the deal, which came into effect on 1 April, were not disclosed.
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The Italy-based group, which owns brands including Campari, Aperol and Forty Creek Canadian whisky, had handled its own distribution in the market.
Campari told Just Drinks working with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits would “accelerate” its growth in the country.
It added: “Working with SGWS offers us world-class sales expertise and a proven track record in brand building and distribution.”
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits said in a statement the deal builds on the companies’ “existing successful relationship in the US”.
“Campari’s premium brands, combined with Southern Glazer’s world-class sales expertise, create a powerful synergy that will elevate the beverage alcohol landscape in Canada,” Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits president and CEO Wayne Chaplin said.
Campari owns the Forty Creek whisky distillery in Ontario and has an office in Toronto. In 2024, the company employed 150 staff in Canada.
In 2024, the group’s global net sales grew 2.4% organically and 5.4% on a reported basis in 2024 to €3.07bn ($3.48bn).
In the Americas, a region that accounts for 45% of Campari’s company sales, sales were up 4%. The group has not provided sales data for specific country markets for 2024 but highlighted Canada as a factor in the rising sales of its Aperol brand last year. Sales of Campari’s Jamaican rums fell in Canada in the fourth quarter.
Canada is among the top five markets by sales for Campari’s Wild Turkey whiskey brand and the second-largest market for Grand Marnier.
Last month, Campari struck a deal to offload its sole manufacturing site in Australia.
The company has inked a deal to sell the facility in the Derrimut suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria to local contract packager Garage Beverages.
