The Federal Trade Commission announced October 2, 2026 a settlement with Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC, the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor, over alleged price discrimination. The FTC called it the successful conclusion of its first Robinson-Patman Act enforcement action in a generation.
The FTC sued in 2024, alleging Southern charged independent retailers significantly higher prices than large chains such as Total Wine, Walmart and Kroger for identical bottles in the same period, even when stores were a few blocks apart. It alleged the gap came from discounts and rebates large buyers could get and small competitors could not, not justified by differences in distribution cost.
Under the proposed stipulated order, Southern will face limits on charging small, independent retailers higher prices than competing large chains. The settlement covers nearly all of Southern’s wine and spirits sales to the five largest chain retailers in 26 states. It also provides direct cash payments to harmed small businesses if an independent monitor finds Southern violates the order.