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.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/172332
another small step in a broader effort to elevate the discrimination of wine, liquor and beer buyers – and along the way, elevate the profile of a comprehensive, 36,000square-foot store that's often described as a Disney World for adults. A Beverage Alcohol Destination U nder Maloney, a store that started out decades ago as a grocery, has expanded multiple times at the same location, along the way creating destinations in its wine, spirits and beer departments that are almost uniformly accorded five-star ratings by Yelp! reviewers. Commenters refer often to making digressions of dozens, or even hundreds, of miles to visit the store. And with lower-cost rivals like the upscale grocer Wegmans opening nearby, Julio's also serves as an example of how a consistently high degree of service allows a large wine and liquor store to compete effectively without the need to offer rock-bottom prices. When the avalanche of favorable opinion on Yelp is mentioned to him, Maloney doesn't minimize the accomplishment, but characteristically puts it in pragmatic terms: with 25 people on staff these days, he notes, there are "25 chances a day that somebody's having an off-day." The Angel Share Room T he Angel Share tasting room has become quite a draw. Owner Ryan Maloney notes that Julio's was quick to adopt the automated Enomatic sampling machines when they first became available in New England around four years ago, and was first to build a room around the machines as an instore destination. Initially, a staffer who'd worked both the retailer and supplier sides in England and France was assigned to work the amenity. As traffic grew, the store continued to expand its offerings to the point now where there are 48 wines to taste any time the store is open, and an array of whiskies, too. (Maloney noted that Enomatic is working to upgrade its technology to handle the carbonation of sparkling wines like champagne, and he's hopeful that will facilitate adding beer to the mix as well.) That staffer recently moved on and now, with a bigger full-time staff, multiple staffers share that duty, Korby said. Within Angel Share, wines get a half-ounce pour, whiskies a quarterounce pour, all measured on smart cards employing a point system to insure that customers don't consume more than 5 ounces of wine or 1 ounce of spirits before heading back to their cars. The system offers shoppers an opportunity to "try before you buy," without the hovering presence of a sales staffer, if the customer prefers, Korby said. "They can trade up from $15 to a $20-25 wine and walk home confident" in their purchase, he said. For shoppers who do engage a sales associate, Angel Share serves as a useful tool to gauge their preferences, since many customers lack the vocabulary to adequately describe what they like in their wine. Thus, a sales associate might offer them three styles of 14 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2013 Cabernet as a way of triangulating their tastes. Wines featured in Angel Share are all offered at a promotional price – whether an Alamos Malbec reduced from $8.99 to $6.97 or a Donnafugata Mille Note Nero D'Avola Cabernet Sauvignon knocked down from $80.99 to $64.97. So shoppers get to taste for free some very good wines if they're so inclined.