Joe Thompson and his team are looked to by those in the industry for advice and direction in their decision making strategies. The articles listed are reflective of the media and industry leaders who have relied on the wisdom of the Independent Beverage Group.
IBG in the News
Bloomberg
Cheap-Liquor Billionaire Looks Abroad as Home Market Slows
Goldring thinks strategically, said Joe E. Thompson, owner of Independent Beverage Group, a Tennessee business broker who sold Goldring a Louisiana beer distributor in October.
“He doesn’t step over dollars to get to nickels like some people I sell businesses to,” Thompson said.
For Anheuser-Busch, It's Showtime
"I think they can do both; if anyone can walk and chew gum at the same time, it's Anheuser-Busch," says Joseph Thompson of Independent Beverage Group, an industry consultant. "But if I had to choose, I'd straighten out my core brands."
The McCains’ Other Nov. Decision: Selling the Family Bud Distributor?
Another reason many distributors are exploring whether to sell is they fear the Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, will beat McCain and raise the tax rate on capital gains from such transactions, says Joe Thompson, president of Independent Beverage Group, a leading broker of distributors. (The current capital-gains tax rate is 15% under the Bush tax cuts that McCain opposed and now supports. Obama has proposed raising it.)
Anheuser-Busch’s Troubled Brew
Analysts estimate the average Anheuser-Busch distributor nets roughly $1 per case of Budweiser it delivers to market, vs. the 85¢ or so SABMiller pays its wholesalers. Closing that gap could net Brito roughly $200 million a year—but create deep fissures in his relationships with distributors. "You've got distributors who've been doing business with Anheuser-Busch for 50 years, and if InBev puts the squeeze on them, there's going to be a clash," says industry consultant Joe Thompson. For Brito, that could mean the courtship of Anheuser-Busch and its many constituents has just begun.
Beer deals on tap: Global heavyweights step into era of consolidation
Analysts said further consolidation among the industry's largest players appears imminent. As news reports in the past couple of weeks have indicated, InBev likely will make a bid for Anheuser-Busch or perhaps even another heavyweight, SABMiller.
"It's like a big chess board and we're getting to the end of the game here," said Joe Thompson, president of the consulting firm Independent Beverage Group.
Rocky Mountain News
Changing Tastes Push Brewers to Joint Venture
The proposed MillerCoors venture would have $6.6 billion in annual sales and would generate cost savings of $500 million, to come in part through the elimination of duplicate jobs and back-office operations and the lowering of shipping costs.
"More money gives you a better ability to compete, period," said beer industry consultant Joe Thompson, president of Independent Beverage Group.
Miller Gives Lime-and-Salt Beer A Shot at Boosting Sales
"We're in a new era," says beer-industry consultant Joe Thompson, president of Independent Beverage Group. "A few years ago, I would have said, 'You don't want to add things to your beer,' but now consumers want to do that with so many other drinks, like [Energy Brands Inc.'s] Vitaminwater. So they have a good chance of hitting on pretty good timing."