Retail Goliath ReserveBar Expands to On-Demand Delivery With Minibar Acquisition

ReserveBar is moving into the on-demand booze delivery with its acquisition of Minibar. (Photo by NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images)

ReserveBar, founded in 2013, has established itself as a leader of alcohol e-commerce, a sector that has rapidly grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the company is expanding into on-demand delivery with its announcement Monday that it has acquired Minibar Delivery, which partners with more than 2,800 retailers nationwide, including independent liquor stores and national brands such as 7-Eleven, according to a news release announcing the acquisition.

The two companies will link their retailers, customer bases, technology and delivery methods. Thanks to the acquisition, Minibar’s platform will offer a greater selection of products, including special limited editions, new launches, celebrity-owned spirits and ReserveBar’s personalized and engraved bottles and other gift offerings.

ReserveBar said in the release that it expects its number of retailer locations to reach 5,000 by the end of 2022, a number that will allow it to serve “virtually all legal drinking age consumers in states that permit shipping and delivery of spirits, wine, champagne, ready-to-drink cocktails, beer, and hard seltzers.”

Lindsay Held, CEO and co-founder of ReserveBar, explained the logic behind the purchase:

“This acquisition is born out of synergies generated by the complementary e-commerce segments we serve. ReserveBar primarily focuses on premium and luxury spirits, utilizing ground shipping fulfillment, while Minibar Delivery has focused on meeting the customer’s everyday needs for wine, spirits, beer, and ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs), with on-demand delivery. Together, we can provide our clients with the best purchasing experience in the market. We also see significant product cross-over synergies in offering Minibar Delivery customers the special limited editions and celebrity, craft and newly launched bottles that are showcased on ReserveBar.”

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