A-B Lightens Expectations for Distributors

A kinder, gentler A-B emerged last week at their Dallas meeting as ABIV outlined their more flexible approach to distributor relations. As they hinted last year at their Spring marketing meeting, A-B will soften many of the more draconian measures in their distributor equity agreement, such as call ratios for small accounts, more legroom to put accounts on tel-sell, fewer certifications, and more emphasis on selling beer. Distribs we talked with were glad about the changes, particularly since costs are