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/58579
Advertorial The Glenlivet Ambassadors Activate Consumer Engagement The Glenlivet, the #1 selling Single Malt Scotch in the U.S. employs a team of brand ambassadors whose directive is to introduce more consumers to The Single Malt that Started It All. These enthusiastic and energetic industry professionals bring a wealth of experience and a deep abiding passion for Scotch Whisky to the table. In 2012, The Glenlivet Ambassadors will host The Nights of Passage, an 8-city Consumer Mentoring tour and over 50 private consumer events throughout the country. Their goal is to spread the word to The Glenlivet advocates who will, in turn, introduce their friends to The Glenlivet, thus creating a new legion of The Glenlivet loyalists. One of The Glenlivet Ambassadors paving the way Is: Richard Crawford — Born and raised in Paisley, Scotland, Crawford moved to the United States in 1991 and was appointed The Glenlivet Ambassador in 2007. He completed a Master's Class at The Glenlivet Distillery in 2007 and is a natural when working the crowds. He has commanded the floor as a Scotch expert at countless events and shows across the country and is honored to educate the public on the history and romance of Scotch Whisky to enhance their drinking experience. In 2009, Crawford was a judge at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards, where The Glenlivet Nàdurra was crowned the best 13 to 20-year-old single malt whisky. A portion of the distilled spirits section in the West Hartford store, where spirits sales account for about 30% of overall revenue. for one case or for 1,000. So what wholesalers do to give a buying advantage to large stores with dollars and space is let us know the pric- ing going forward," he says, a policy that allows big buyers like Crazy Bruce's a chance to stock up. For instance, a supplier will share fore- casted price changes with Bradley, pointing out that a case of Joe's vodka will be priced at $100 in March, $110 in April and not back to $100 for six months. Then Bradley will buy to last the stores until the next low price period, basing his requirements on a few years' worth of monthly sales history he's gathered, his most important tool in this strategy. "We need to be able to see what we sold month to month, year to year, and we can look back 15 years and see the trends are fairly consis- tent. By having proper information from suppliers, we can accurately judge how much we need, and that saves us crucial margin points." This is vital since the state also enforces a minimum bottle price law, and many retailers sell popular products at the same price. So Bradley must look for other ways to be aggressive on pricing to keep customers coming in. "We continue to look to buy as many closeouts as possible and because of our size we have storage to buy as many cases as possible." At West Hartford, storage reaches approximately 5,000 square feet of warehouse space, complete with forklifts, towering shelves and 25 feet ceilings. Small wholesalers marvel that Crazy Bruce's outlets have more storage space then they do, yet there's still room to grow if needed. The space allows Bradley great leeway. For instance, last year the supplier of a well-known premium vodka brand had an excess of a cer- tain flavor that they needed to shed. "I bought every case they had, and I sold 500 cases in three months. I could have looked at it and set a higher price, held it for five years and quadrupled my money, but our customers like to come in here and see a $2.99 wine or $5.99 vodka - it brings them in." Similarly, the recent changeover at Wild Turkey of their 80 proof bourbon brand to 81 proof caused a ripple in the supply and made avail- able to Crazy Bruce a reduction of about $10 per half gallon. Enter Bradley, who scooped up as much as was available. "My Wild Turkey sales are booming this year because it was a name brand and people knew it was a deal. It may have taken sales away from Jim Beam or Jack