Market Watch Leaders 2026 cover featuring Chad Sokol of Costco Wholesale Corp.

Market Watch · October 2026

The Leaders 2026 Issue

Eleven retailers from six companies are named Market Watch Leaders, Costco's Chad Sokol is Retailer of the Year, and Leaders veterans are honored for Best Marketing and Community Service. Read every profile below.

back to the winners

Retailer of the Year

Chad Sokol standing among wooden wine boxes at a Costco warehouse

2026 Retailer of the Year

Hunting For Treasure

Costco’s constantly rotating “treasure hunt” assortment and Kirkland Signature label add up to a multi-billion-dollar beverage business.

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Class of 2026

Dave Larue, Chad Holloway, Charlie Bailes IV, Sean Kelly, and Chris Quarles in an ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store

2026 Market Watch Leaders

Fourth Generation Expansion

Five family members are taking the 127-store Florida chain into Colorado, building superstores, and modernizing its technology.

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Mike Fisch leaning on a barrel in a Gary’s Wine & Marketplace store

2026 Market Watch Leader • Next-Gen

Flair For Tech

The second-generation CFO has pushed online sales to 20% of revenue and built Samplii, a sampling platform now rolling out to the industry.

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Meghan Cimini-Jones standing in a Yankee Spirits wine aisle

2026 Market Watch Leader

All In The Family

The majority owner of Yankee Spirits carries forward the legacy of her father, Don Cimini, a 1996 Market Watch Leader.

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Olivier Kielwasser and Kristen Bennett in a Fresh Market wine department

2026 Market Watch Leaders

Retail Transformer

Olivier Kielwasser and Kristen Bennett turned a declining department into one with weekly year-over-year growth at the 172-store grocer.

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Mark Pinho standing in a Wine.com warehouse

2026 Market Watch Leader

Shaking It Up At Wine.com

The CEO is moving Wine.com from “growth at all costs” to long-term sustainability, with new pricing, storage, and delivery services.

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Anuj Mittal standing in a Zipps Liquor store

2026 Market Watch Leader

Big Box Alternative

Anuj Mittal grew his family’s Texas chain from eight stores to 38 on three pillars: pricing, selection, and convenience.

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Alumni Awards

Adam Acquistapace standing in front of wine shelves

2026 Best Marketing Award

Excelling Across Categories

Community-first events like the Cheese Extravaganza and a weekly TV segment earn the 2018 Leader this year’s Best Marketing Award.

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Stew Leonard Jr. in a Stew Leonard’s Wine & Spirits store

2026 Community Service Award

Dedication To Saving Lives

The Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation has raised more than $8 million and donated over 300,000 swim lessons.

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Leaders Choice Awards

A bottle of Gran Malo tamarind Tequila liqueur

2026 Leaders Choice Awards • Best New Product Awards

Gran Malo and Decoy Featherweight

Gallo’s tamarind-flavored Tequila liqueur rocketed to 360,000 cases, while Duckhorn’s 80-calorie Decoy line meets health-minded drinkers where they are.

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2026 Leaders Choice Awards • Spirits Brand of the Year

Lunazul Tequila

Heaven Hill’s 100% agave Tequila grew 29.5% last year to 2.2 million cases, surpassing Patrón to become the No. 3 brand in the U.S.

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2026 Leaders Choice Awards • Wine Brand of the Year

Avaline

Co-owned by Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power, Avaline grew from 80,000 cases in 2022 to more than 300,000 in 2025.

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2026 Leaders Choice Awards • Industry Executive of the Year

Tom Day

The Reyes Beverage Group CEO led the acquisition of Republic National Distributing Co., reshaping the wine and spirits second tier.

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