Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics Nov-Dec 2015

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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[ RETAIL PROFILE ] www.beveragedynamics.com 24 Beverage Dynamics • November/December 2015 customer service and competitive pricing. Select locations also provide party and wedding planning, corporate packages and delivery options (although delivery is not allowed in the state of Kansas, so McLeroy cannot offer that service). The stores manage several wine clubs and offer weekly in-store beer tast- ings, as well as wine and spirit tastings several times per month. In order to ensure that all operational bases are covered, the Probst brothers share duties on the sales floor but split other responsibilities. Jim concentrates his efforts on the spirits category, working with distillers and also overseeing operations management. Jack focuses on cultivating the wine and beer lines, as well as admin- istrative work and employee relations (the Probsts' two store locations currently em- ploy 20 staff members). The Probsts have been successful running a family business, but does sibling rivalry ever get in the way? Surprisingly, the answer is "no." "We've always been close. I even sold Jim his very first house: it used to be my house!" Jack Probst says, laughing. "That's not to say we have it all figured out. We're still figuring out how to split the duties. It was just me doing everything solo for the first 15 years, and we always seem to have more ground to cover." Jim agrees. "You never know coming into a situation like that how it will all work out, but it's actually gone very well for us," he adds. In addition to their other responsibilities, the Probst broth- ers share advertising and marketing duties, an aspect of the business that they built from the ground up. "We never really had a branding guide before 2010," Jack Probst recalls. "I am the one who developed it, and then we worked with the Kan- sas store to get them more involved with the work that we're doing." CHAIN CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS One of the major challenges Gomer's faces is that, due to locations in multiple states, the company must adhere to different laws related to pricing and regulations. This makes it difficult to run uni- form marketing campaigns, and advertising is often dif- ferent Missouri than in Kansas. In order to keep track of so many moving parts, the Probsts hold monthly advertising meetings to discuss the various campaigns in place, and also to touch base about new products with each other and with their senior staff. Despite these hurdles, the brand has created innovative promotional campaigns utilizing television, radio, print, e-mail, "Gomer was always dedicated to providing new and innovative products to our customers, and that rationale is something we continue to abide by to this day" – Jack Probst

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