RNDC files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, reshaping US alcohol distribution

Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), once the United States' second‑largest alcohol wholesaler, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas. The petition lists assets between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities ranging from $1 billion to $10 billion, with more than 100,000 creditors, including major suppliers such as Proximo Spirits, Anheuser‑Busch, Pernod Ricard and Gallo.

RNDC’s filing covers operations in 39 states and the District of Columbia, affecting roughly 14,000 employees. Joint‑venture assets in New York, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky are excluded from the case, as is its Alaska partnership, which remains the sole joint venture subject to the bankruptcy process. The company hopes that a sale of its remaining assets could preserve additional jobs.

The bankruptcy follows a year of divestitures and layoffs that began with the sale of most of its business, raising concerns about the future of wine and spirits distribution networks across the United States.