Virginia Law

Notwithstanding the terms, provisions or conditions of any agreement, no brewery shall unilaterally amend, cancel, terminate or refuse to continue to renew any agreement, or unilaterally cause a wholesaler to resign from an agreement, unless the brewery has first complied with § 4.1-506 and good cause exists for amendment, termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, noncontinuation or causing a resignation. Good cause shall not include the sale or purchase of a brewery. Good cause shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Revocation of the wholesaler's license to do business in the Commonwealth;

2. Bankruptcy or receivership of the wholesaler;

3. Assignment for the benefit of creditors or similar disposition of the assets of the wholesaler other than the creation of a security interest in the assets of a wholesaler for the purpose of securing financing in the ordinary course of business; or

4. Failure by the wholesaler to substantially comply, without reasonable excuse or justification, with any reasonable and material requirement imposed upon him in writing by the brewery, including, but not limited to, a substantial failure by a beer wholesaler to (i) maintain a sales volume of his brewery's brand or brands, (ii) render services comparable in quality, quantity or volume to the sales volumes maintained and services rendered by other wholesalers of the same brand or brands within the Commonwealth, or (iii) failure to obtain the consent of the brewery to a transfer of a wholesaler's business unless a determination has been made by the Board pursuant to § 4.1-507 that such consent was unreasonably withheld by the brewery. In any determination as to whether a wholesaler has failed to substantially comply, without reasonable excuse or justification, with any reasonable and material requirement imposed upon him by the brewery, consideration shall be given to the relative size, population, geographical location, number of retail outlets and demand for the products applicable to the territory of the wholesaler in question and to comparable territories.

Good cause shall not be construed to exist without a finding of a material deficiency for which the wholesaler is responsible in any case in which good cause is alleged to exist based on circumstances not specifically set forth in subdivisions 1 through 4 of this section.

1978, c. 579, § 4-118.7; 1985, c. 549; 1987, c. 247; 1989, c. 272; 1993, c. 866; 1996, c. 3.