been mostly continued from the previous store, but are kept in a tighter
rotation, limiting the number available at any one time. The bakery section has a reduced display area with
item rotation focused on a better
turnover of cheesecakes, scones, bar
cookies, cakes and cupcakes.
Unlike cookies and cakes, which
are baked from scratch, Premier
Gourmet has taken advantage of the
current high quality of parbaked artisan-style breads. Local scratch
favorites like Hungarian cookies
called kieflies continue to sell well, as
do other Buffalo-focused items. In
fact, Mark notes that gift baskets
packed with local favorites made in
Western New York like Weber's mustard and Anchor Bar Wing Sauce have
been flying off the shelves even in
mid-summer, a significant change
given the baskets were usually seen as
holiday gifts.
Expanding Online
Presence
W
hile much has changed at
Premier Gourmet, some
things remain the same –
for instance, whole bean coffee roasted on site has continued to be a major
seller. And the brothers are expanding
their
online
presence
with
The new 30,000-square-foot retail selling space at Premier Wine
Premiergourmet.com for national
and Spirits allows for 2,000 more skus than the previous store,
shipping of gift baskets and other
including 8,500 wines and 3,000 spirits.
products. The wine and spirits stores
have long done a vigorous business through their online
Premier Gourmet Design Advantages outlets, and with the expanded number of items stocked
he design flow in Premier Gourmet allows cus- at Premier Wine and Spirits, an upsurge there is expecttomers to navigate easier through the aisles, with ed as well.
less clutter to distract. The store's marketplace
But it's still early stages for both stores, with plenty
flow, with departments spread around the outer walls, of tweaks and refinements to come as the two major
housewares in the center store, and the beer and growler retail outlets respond to contemporary modes of shopbar at the rear, has made store easier to shop, says Mark. ping, eating and drinking. Both Burt and Mark note that
So far, like beer, grocery sales are at about 25% of changes in customer interest in regional food and drink
total volume, with housewares, traditionally the store and small production items continue to alter what they
leader, just behind at about 20%.
carry, especially with younger and more experimental
The café area has been reduced, with seating for shoppers frequenting their aisles. But accommodating
about 15, making it more of an in-store eating experi- those interests is one of the reasons why they've moved
ence. The approach to prepared food and bakery has and taken on the gourmet business once again, so they
been similar: the number of prepared food items has welcome the opportunity.
I
T
24 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • January/February 2013
