Article: The case for a small supplier exception to the beer franchise laws.

In the past decade specialty beers and the small domestic breweries and independent importers that sell them have breathed new life into the brewing industry. But distribution hurdles are increasingly suffocating small suppliers, threatening the excitement, goodwill, prices and margins they bring to the industry. Main-line wholesalers are consolidating and, under new contracts from Anheuser-Busch and Miller, devoting primary efforts to their top suppliers. Yet laws designed to protect wholesalers' fair share of their suppliers' brand equity often tie small suppliers to wholesalers who have lost interest in small brands and inhibit the development of the distributors ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!