Wine and spirits distributor Fedway Associates is expanding operations into beer through the acquisition of independent Anheuser-Busch (A-B) house Ritchie & Page.
The New Jersey-based distributor is expected to close on the deal in early January 2026, pending supplier approvals, the company said Monday in a press release.
Once closed, Fedway will launch Jersey Beverage Network, a new Fedway subsidiary that will take over Ritchie & Page’s beer distribution operations, spanning across Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, and parts of Camden and Hunterdon counties.
Ritchie & Page’s existing leadership team – president and CEO Chris Natale, director of sales and marketing Emma Natale and director of logistics and operations Jack Natale – will join Jersey Beverage Network and remain in those roles, a move expected to ensure “continuity for retail partners, suppliers and employees.”
Fedway is one of the largest distributors of Statewide’s popular Surfside spirits-based iced tea and lemonade canned cocktail products. Fedway operates statewide in New Jersey, delivering more than 9 million cases of wine, spirits and ready-to-drink (RTD) offerings to more than 7,000 licensed retail accounts, making it “the largest single-state wholesaler in the nation.”
Ritchie & Page was family-owned and operated for more than 62 years, operating a 180,000 sq. ft warehouse in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
In addition to the A-B portfolio, Ritchie & Page’s book includes around 80 suppliers, including import brands Diageo’s Guinness, Heineken, Dos Equis and others; beyond beer offerings Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw Hard Seltzer and BeatBox Beverages; and craft brands 3 Floyds, Allagash, Brooklyn Brewery, Double Nickel, Fiddlehead, Firestone Walker, Founders, Lagunitas, Maine Beer, New Trail, Sixpoint, Sloop Brewing, Spellbound Brewing, Stone Brewing and Victory, among others.
Fedway joins the growing trend of other distributors entering beer distribution, which has taken shape in recent years with the proliferation of spirits-based RTD offerings whose logistical needs mimic those of beer.
In August, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS) and A-B announced a deal in which the wine and spirits wholesaler would acquire the beer maker’s wholly owned distributor (WOD) in New York City.
Once the transaction closes later this year, SGWS will launch Southern Glazer’s Beverage Company of New York, offering A-B’s full product lineup across all New York City boroughs except Brooklyn.
In Massachusetts, Martignetti, the sixth-largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S. and the largest in New England, completed its acquisition of Quality Beverage in January 2024. Quality’s portfolio included 400 brands including the A-B portfolio, as well as national and regional craft brands such as New Belgium, Shiner, Sierra Nevada, Harpoon and SweetWater.