Bell’s looking into allegation that Ohio retailer bought another’s Hopslam stock to re-sell
The photo purports to show an employee of Growl waiting to check out and pay for an entire U-boat of Bell’s Hopslam at a Clintonville Giant Eagle located about a mile from the SG shop, the implication being that SG intended to resell what their employee had purchased at retail. That’s illegal, if it’s true.
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Breweries: Bell's Brewery
Beers: Bell's Hopslam
Sadly, this stuff happens all the time, everywhere. There are a lot of places that will even buy brews that are not distributed in their state and resell them. It doesn’t get any more illegal than that!
These breweries need to rethink their distribution. Dumping this beer in a large grocery chain isn’t going to sell well. It’s the same with Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Giant Eagle gets pallets of it and it just sits there and gets old. While my store which specializes in craft beer has to beg for enough to last a day. I have over 10 cases of Hopslam basically pre sold and I just found out we’re only getting 5 cases. we’re told it’s based on Two Hearted Ale sales, but we sell 3 cases of 6pks and a 1/4 barrel every 2wks. I doubt Giant Eagles sell that much.
Much ado about nothing.
Beer scalpers! I wonder what was the second retailers markup, or did the second retailer want the hopslam just so the hip beer drinkers would stop snubbing his store?
it is an issue when a wholesaler will not or can not properly allocate small production items. it is too easy for a larger wholesaler to take a big order and dump the goods in one place rather than carefully placing a certain amount of product in multiple locations. for the brand in question, they need to be better at managing their distributor.
“These breweries need to rethink their distribution. Dumping this beer in a large grocery chain isn’t going to sell well.”
The large grocery store chain referred to in this story was going to sell all of the Hop Slam just fine, it is several blocks from my house. They have a great beer selection.
Beer distribution, brewing and sales, in general, are largely responsible for these small stores stooping to such deplorable acts. I don’t condon their actions. Until the breweries that monopolize 95% of the market with their generic, awful mass produced swill are regulated, it’s going to continue to happen.
Bell’s does everything for hopslam by percentage sold. If your bar or liquor store sells 4% of the bells products year long, then you get 4% of the total hopslam allocation.
Do something about it Columbus folk! Call the ODLC at 1-877-464-6677 or e-mail at [email protected]. Hold their feet to the fire!!!
Bell’s distribution is completely and thoroughly corrupt. The brewery knows and doesn’t care. (Though, to be fair, even if they did they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.)
They love to quote that BS about how Hopslam allocations are based on two hearted sales. Well, let me tell you, trying to sell two hearted ale on an even playing field is impossible. I’ve been ordering cases and cases for my store for the last six weeks straight. “Out of stock” says the distributor each and every time. Empty hole on my precious cooler shelf.
And yet, I go to my local grocer, and what do I find? Doors full of nice, fresh two hearted ale. If I ask the distributor, they say it sold out before my order got filled. If I ask for a different order date, they say you only get one order day a week.
It’s like playing a game where the refs favor the popular team. I feel like I play for the Washington Generals when it comes to Bell’s. Most of Bell’s distributors sell products that do well in grocery. So guess who gets the breaks? “Nice job selling Jack Daniel’s for us, Grocer. Hey, how about a nice first crack at all the Two Hearted Ale? That’ll help keep your Hopslam numbers where we want them to be. Har har.”
I could be the top selling account in my entire county, but the distributors have no interest in snubbing accounts that sell lots of their other, non-Bell’s products. They tilt the playing field as they see fit and pretend it’s fair and square.
I’m not sure I’d call that “corrupt” and the scenario you describe is the one faced by every boutique retailer for a number of “regional craft” brands. As large retailers/bars and chains do more business, they command a proportionately higher mind share and some of the boutique retailers are left with a single case on some beers.
It’s not corruption. It’s capitalism.