Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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repeal of Prohibition, but changed the name to the New Jersey Liquor Store Alliance. Santelle was its first Vice President, and four years later was elected President and became a Trustee. "New Jersey has an exemplary beverage alcohol model; things are working well. Do we want to turn an exemplary model upside down to please the likes of Wegmans?" asks Santelle rhetorically. "I don't think it's in the public interest, or anyone's interest." For the tireless Santelle, that situation led to him getting involved with the Alcoholic Beverage Control as a State Director. "I realized the problems we were having weren't just happening here Beer, wine and spirits each account for about 30% of total in New Jersey, they were happening all sales, while the remaining 10% come from sales of tobacco, sundries and snacks. over the country." The national beer, wine and spirits retailers association inidime on the dollar. But when you factor in collecting rent, tiates, promotes, and supports laws, regulations and the real estate, that brings the other dime on the dollar. rules pertaining to on- and off-premise beverage alcoMaybe it's the same 20 cents I was making 25 years ago. It's hol, as well as educating the public. Santelle will soon an interesting dynamic that I've been able to make sense of take the position of Vice President, Off Premise, for the Alcoholic Beverage Control. and hopefully I'll continue to down the road." "It's a big commitment," he says of his pro bono Continuing Vigilance involvement with the various industry organizations. nother formidable opponent arrived in the form Daily, he receives scores of phone calls, hundreds of emails of Wegmans Food Markets, one of which recent- and other correspondence relating to his political activity. ly opened just three miles from Garden State Discount Liquors. "It's tough to compete against a super- Changing Perceptions market with a large liquor store that's selling very aggresne thing he is striving against with all this sively," he says. Santelle saw some of his business walk industry advocacy is the poor public perception away immediately. He is in the process of once more of the beverage alcohol industry. "When people making adjustments to counteract the new competition. ask you what you do, and you say, I work in retail, I own Santelle saw a larger threat from the supermarket a liquor store, there's this negative reaction you get, like chain when it first entered the state in 2001. New Jersey you're a second-class citizen. People look down on you has a two liquor license limitation law, and it appeared because you are selling alcohol. But they all like to drink that Wegmans had an aggressive plan to open more the products." mega-stores in the state with liquor licenses, and intendSantelle hopes that someday his twin daughters ed to subvert the limitation law. "It seemed they were Jacqueline and Jessica, will consider the option of followgoing to push the envelope," recalls the retailer. "We are ing in his footsteps, or perhaps a career in one of the indusa regulated industry, but Wegmans didn't acknowledge a try's other two tiers. "One thing I'd like to see for my kid's difference between alcohol and milk, bread and butter. generation, the one that's coming up right now, is to gain They had a different agenda." more respect, to improve the perception of our industry." At that time, New Jersey had three different package For the future, Santelle is planning for yet another store associations; Santelle was a member of two of expansion of his store, to be completed in 2014. He is those. He saw the sense in consolidation, one association also busy working out the details for a foray into the to speak with one voice, representing the off-premise lucrative internet sales market. sector, and was instrumental in bringing about that And, Santelle plans to keep on working at Garden change. The new association took the anagram of State Discount Liquors. "I don't consider what I do longest-standing organization, the New Jersey Liquor work, it's just what I do," he proclaims simply. "I enjoy Store Association, which had been around since the what I do. I enjoy the challenge." I A O 26 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2013