Watkins Distributing, Sales & Service, a Twin Falls, Idaho-based wholesale beer distributor with outlets in southern Idaho, has bought the assets of Centennial Distributing Inc., of Hayden, Idaho.

Centennial is the sole Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Labatt Brewing Co. wholesaler to handle retail accounts such as grocery stores, and restaurants in five North Idaho counties, says Robin Watkins, the general manager and co-owner of Watkins Distributing. It currently has 40 full-time employees, she says.

Watkins says she and her two brothers, Mitch and Tony Watkins, all of whom originally were from the Spokane area, acquired Centennial's assets, including all of its equipment and the Centennial Distributing name, from Mark Duvall on Dec. 31. Robin Watkins says Duvall said he planned to retire and divide his time between homes in Hayden and Arizona.

Watkins, of Hayden, says she and her brothers will lease from Duvall a 56,000-square-foot facility Centennial occupies at 701 W. Buckles Road, and the distributor will continue to operate under the Centennial Distributing name.

"This was just an opportunity to expand our markets," she says. She says she and her brothers plan to expand the Hayden facility late this spring to accommodate expected growth.

Mitch Watkins operates Watkins Distributing's location in Twin Falls, and Tony Watkins operates a satellite facility in Idaho Falls. Those operations also handle Anheuser-Busch retail accounts.