LOCALLY operated liquor wholesaler Carrington Distributors has been sold to national-based Australian Liquor Marketers.
As a wide-range liquor supplier operating in Perth, Carrington was considered the only significant WA competitor to ALM, a division of retail and distribution giant Metcash.
Carrington Distributors general manager Paul Murphy confirmed the sale but would not discuss the details of the transaction.
It is not known whether the existing Carrington management will play a role with ALM.
Carrington operated in Kalgoorlie for 24 years before entering the Perth marketplace three years ago to compete against ALM.
Liquor wholesalers are an attractive option for bottle shops, restaurants and hotels because they provide a one-stop shop for alcohol purchasing.
Some liquor industry players told WA Business News that ALM was offering assurances to its customers that prices will not rise as a result of the takeover.
Several companies have started up over the years to try and compete against ALM but have either failed or been bought out by the national wholesaler.
In 2000 online ordering and liquor wholesaling start-up Liquorspot was launched but crashed and burned the following year reportedly owing unsecured creditors $3.6 million.
Former ALM managing director Wayne Carew-Reid took the reigns of the Liquorspot venture that launched an online ordering platform shortly after the dot.com crash.
ALM, backed by Metcash, was once a major interest for WA-based Foodland Associated Limited.
FAL had a 50 per cent stake in ALM before selling its share in 1999 to its former joint venture partner Davids, which later became Metcash.
