The leadership at Green's Discount Beverages includes president Lock Reddic and vice president Suzanne Riga. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATE PHILIPS
Southeastern retail chain Green's Discount Beverages, located in South Carolina and Georgia, thrives by appealing to local trends and tastes.
By Jack Robertiello just as much sense. A
In the case of the Southeast's Green's Discount Beverages, what's local changes dramatically from store to store. With units in two states (Georgia and South Carolina), separated by as much as 360 miles, it's not a surprise that each store has a different market position and client base. For instance, at the chain's Atlanta store in the booming Poncey Highland section of town, the wine manager keeps tabs on the annual Burgundy and Bordeaux market and has established a robust interna- tional wine selection. But meanwhile, over in Green's
ll retailing is local. That might not quite have the ring of truth of the words of the late Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil, but it makes
warehouse unit in Columbia, SC, the large footprint market sells only beer and mostly lower-priced California wine in unusual contrast to the entire chain's overall spirits sales, which comprise more than 50% of the business.
Each store, then, is calibrated to make sense for local customers, says Green's president Lock Reddic. "We've always targeted our audience and their needs and never tried to take them somewhere; we just try to be the best for what we know they want," he says, point- ing out that the differences depend specifically on those unit locations. "We're in small town America and a big city, and we
wouldn't really know the differences if we didn't operate in both. But as a result it gives us a bit of an advantage, a chance to develop relationships with both high-end and volume suppliers," he says.
12 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • May/June 2012
Targeting Customers, Market By Market
