What Empire Merchants does

Empire Merchants LLC is a privately held wine and spirits distributor serving the entirety of New York State through two regional operating entities: Empire Merchants Metro (NYC, Long Island, Westchester, headquartered in Astoria, Queens) and Empire Merchants North (Upstate, Central, and Western New York, headquartered in Coxsackie). The company distributes over 8,500 unique beverage alcohol SKUs from more than 150 global supplier partners to 18,000+ on-premise and off-premise accounts (restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, and retail outlets), shipping 8.5 million+ cases annually with next-business-day delivery. Empire Merchants' go-to-market is hybrid: dedicated field sales teams organized into specialized divisions (Freedom Division, Gotham Division, Moet Hennessy dedicated division) handle consultative selling and account management, while the Empire360 B2B digital platform (launched May 2022 in partnership with City Hive Inc.) provides 24-hour online ordering, transparent pricing, account management, invoice viewing, and integrated bill pay.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on Empire360 (a City Hive-powered e-commerce platform) backed by Oracle ERP and state-of-the-art carton sortation and warehouse management systems that enable case-level tracking through distribution. Supporting portals include the Metro Supplier Diveport (for supplier-side order management and analytics), a Customer Dashboard, an online Customer Service Request Form, and an Employee Self-Service Portal. The Empire360 platform serves as both a customer-facing ordering channel and the operational backbone for digital ordering and payment workflows.

Empire Merchants' revenue model is transaction-based: the company earns distribution margins on wine and spirits sales to trade customers, supplemented by delivery fees, bill and storage fees, and split case fees (with documented fee increases in 2024 and 2025). The company is structured as a joint venture between Bulldog Ventures Ltd. (Magliocco family) and Charmer Industries, Inc. (Drucker and Merinoff families), formed in February 2007 through the legal combination of Charmer Industries Inc. and Peerless Importers Inc. Leadership includes CEO Eric Pfeil (appointed 2023, ex-Breakthru Beverage Florida, ex-E&J Gallo), COO Tony Magliocco (third-generation family member), CFO Terrence A. Arlotta (40+ years industry experience), and EVP Sales David C. Drucker. The company maintains TIPS certification across all sales associates for responsible alcohol sales compliance.

Name

Empire Merchants

Legal name

Empire Merchants LLC

Website

https://empiremerchants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Empire Merchants is a privately held wine and spirits distributor serving 18,000+ on-premise and off-premise accounts across New York State, shipping 8.5 million+ cases of 8,500+ SKUs from 150+ global suppliers via its Empire360 B2B digital platform and dedicated field sales teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine and Spirits Distribution

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (4248), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits) (AFAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Wine and spirits distribution
• Beverage alcohol distribution
• B2B e-commerce platform
• On-premise distribution
• Off-premise distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Astoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wine and Spirits Distribution: Core revenue from distribution of wine and spirits products to on-premise and off-premise customers across New York State. Products shipped from over 150 global supplier partners. Transaction-based sales model.
2. Delivery Fees: Fees charged for delivery services to customers. The company announced delivery fee changes effective June 1, 2025 and has implemented congestion fees.
3. Bill and Storage Fees: Fees for bill & store services. The company has documented rate changes for these services over time.
4. Split Case Fees: Fees for split case orders. The company announced split case fee increases effective August 1, 2024.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empire Merchants is a wine and spirits distributor serving on-premise and off-premise customers (restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, and retail outlets) across New York State through two regional operations: Empire Merchants Metro and Empire Merchants North. The company distributes over 8,500 unique beverage alcohol products from more than 150 global supplier partners via a dedicated field sales force, next-business-day delivery, and the proprietary Empire360 B2B e-commerce platform developed with City Hive Inc.

Product overview

Empire Merchants is a premier wine and spirits distributor serving metropolitan New York State with a two-part service model: traditional sales and logistics operations plus the Empire360 digital platform. The Empire360 platform serves as the central B2B e-commerce hub, integrating product discovery, 24-hour online ordering, pricing, account management, invoicing, and bill pay into a unified experience. Supporting this core platform are specialized portals including the Metro Supplier Diveport for supplier access, a Customer Dashboard for account services, an online Customer Service Request Form for handling claims and disputes, and an Employee Self-Service Portal for internal operations. The company distributes over 8,500 unique beverage alcohol products from more than 150 global supplier partners to over 10,000 restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, and retail outlets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Empire360 B2B E-Commerce Platform B2B digital sales and e-commerce platform developed in partnership with City Hive Inc. that enables 24-hour online ordering, product discovery, transparent pricing, inventory checking, account management, invoice viewing, and online bill pay for restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, and retail beverage alcohol buyers in New York State.
• Wine and Spirits Distribution Services Core B2B distribution of fine wine and spirits from over 150 global supplier partners to on-premise and off-premise accounts across New York State, with state-of-the-art warehousing, case-level tracking, and next-business-day delivery from centrally located distribution facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8.5 million cases shipped annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• William Grant & Sons USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023William Grant & Sons USA and Empire Merchants have been working together since the 1960s, representing over six decades of partnership in the New York market. The five-year agreement extension signed in March 2023 furthers their collaboration, with Empire Merchants distributing brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Drambuie, Milagro Tequila, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, and Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur. Eric Pfeil, President and CEO, noted the partnership provides opportunity to widen distribution within key retail partners and cement commitment to on-premise and beyond. The partnership covers the full state of New York from Brooklyn to Buffalo.
• City Hive Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 31 May 2022Empire Merchants partnered with City Hive Inc. to develop the Empire360 B2B digital sales platform launched in May 2022. City Hive Inc. is a leading beverage alcohol focused technology company powering more than 3,000 retail partners reaching over 950 cities in forty states. Empire Merchants established a seasoned internal e-commerce team to bring this industry-leading platform to market with City Hive. Roi Kliper, CEO of City Hive, noted that Empire Merchants was the first to believe in their vision of Consumerization of B2B for the beverage alcohol three-tier industry.
• Charmer Industries Inc.coreOthers · 1 February 2007Empire Merchants was formed in February 2007 through the legal combination of Charmer Industries Inc. and Peerless Importers Inc. in Metro New York. The resulting company is a partnership between Bulldog Ventures Ltd. (owned by the Magliocco family) and Charmer Industries Inc. (owned by the Drucker and Merinoff families). This merger created one of New York's premier wine and spirits distributors.
• Peerless Importers Inc.coreOthers · 1 February 2007Empire Merchants was formed in February 2007 through the legal combination of Charmer Industries Inc. and Peerless Importers Inc. in Metro New York. Peerless Importers had operations dating back to the end of Prohibition in New York.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Winebow: A leading US wine and spirits importer/distributor operating in multiple states including the Northeast. Directly comparable to Empire Merchants in core distribution business, with overlapping supplier portfolios and on/off-premise customer focus.
• Skurnik Wines & Spirits: A New York-based wine and spirits importer/distributor serving the metro NY trade. Closely comparable to Empire Merchants in geography and customer base, with a more selective fine-wine focus.
• VinConnect (formerly Vias Imports / Broadbent Selections): A New York-based wine importer and distributor serving the metro NY trade. Direct comparable to Empire Merchants in NY geography, with a narrower fine-wine portfolio focus.

Regional players

• Martignetti Companies: The largest wine and spirits distributor in New England, formed in part by acquiring Horizon Beverage. Comparable to Empire Merchants as a multi-regional family-influenced distributor with overlapping supplier relationships and an adjacent (rather than directly overlapping) Northeast footprint.
• Johnson Brothers Liquor Company: A large family-owned wine and spirits distributor operating across multiple US states. Comparable to Empire Merchants in business model and family-influenced ownership structure, with a different geographic footprint; Empire Merchants' COO Tony Magliocco previously served at Johnson Brothers Tampa.

Broad incumbents

• Breakthru Beverage Group: A top-four US beverage alcohol distributor operating across multiple states. Direct comparable in product mix and customer base; Empire Merchants' CEO Eric Pfeil previously served as EVP at Breakthru Beverage of Florida, illustrating the talent pipeline between the two.
• Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits: The largest US beverage alcohol distributor with nationwide operations across all 50 states. Directly comparable to Empire Merchants as a multi-tier wine and spirits wholesaler, but with much broader geographic and category reach.
• Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC): One of the largest US wine and spirits distributors operating in 38+ states. Closely comparable to Empire Merchants in core business model (B2B distribution of wine and spirits to on/off-premise customers), with significantly broader geographic scale.

Others

• City Hive Inc. The beverage alcohol B2B e-commerce technology company that co-developed Empire360 with Empire Merchants. While not a distributor, City Hive is the technology ecosystem partner powering Empire's proprietary digital platform and powers 3,000+ retail partners across 950+ cities.

Emerging players

• Federation of Independent Business (alcohol wholesale cooperatives / regional players): Sazerac and other producer-affiliated entities periodically enter distribution; not a direct distributor peer but representative of vertical-integration threats. Listed as an example of a producer-led distribution model that could compete with traditional wholesalers like Empire Merchants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Whiskey2Wine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-merchants
• Instagraminstagram.com/whiskey_to_wine
• Xx.com/emdistributor

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empire Merchants