Is leading adult non-alc (NA) retailer Boisson shutting down?
According to a comment from someone identifying as a Boisson employee on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the company shared news of its impending closure with staff on Thursday, but has yet to announce it publicly.
The rumors surfaced when Andrea Hernández of Snaxshot shared the employee’s comment, which has since been deleted.
A follow-up blog post from Hernández referenced conversations with several brands on the platform who were surprised by the news.
Boisson has not returned a request for comment from BevNet.
The retailer sent an e-mail last week notifying customers of a 30% off sale as part of a “Spring Cleaning” promotion, with all sales final.
The rumors come after the retailer has taken major steps to secure its place within the expanding adult NA category. Last September, Boisson brought on new CEO Sheetal Aiyer and received $5 million in funding as part of bridge round led by Convivialité Ventures, the VC arm of Pernod Ricard, and Connect Ventures.
The announcement of last year’s funding round coincided with Aiyer’s appointment as CEO as part of the company’s long-term ambitions of becoming a three-pronged business: retailer, e-commerce site and wholesale distributor.
Boisson founder and president Nick Bodkins, described the company’s next stage of growth at the time as furthering its “verticalized approach to the market” and leveraging Boisson’s flexibility outside of the three-tier system to continue to sell direct-to-consumers, into bars and restaurants, and specialty grocery stores.
At the start of this year, however, the company announced it was shifting strategies and leveraging new partnerships with KeHe and craft wine and spirits distributor LibDib to cement a national footprint for wholesale distribution.
Jill Sites was hired as vice president of wholesale, with plans to grow its distribution business by 70% in 2025. But as adult NA brands begin to make grocery gains on their own, Hernández theorized in her post today that the need for a niche retailer may have softened.
Since launching in NYC in 2021, Boisson has been an influential voice within a new generation of businesses growing the burgeoning no-and-low alcohol segment. Since expanding to eight storefronts and closing a $12 million seed round, the company has also grown its e-commerce program and made plans to explore international opportunities.
Note: This story has been changed from an earlier version to remove the identification of the Boisson employee by name.