Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics May-June 2016

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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12 Beverage Dynamics • May/June 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com Y ankee Wine & Spirits has been under new ownership for seven months and already much has changed. The Newtown, Connecticut-based busi- ness now sports a more-inviting interior, plus an expanded focus on craft beer and digital platforms. This is the vision-turned-reality of new owner Chris Ciskey. Ciskey had worked at the store for eight years, including four as manager, before buying out the prior owners in September. "It's a business I love," he says. "It was a natural move. I actually met my wife here when we were both employees, so I have a lot of history here." With so much invested in Yankee Wine & Spirits, Cis- key wasted little time after taking over before implementing upgrades. He immediately began a significant overhaul of the store's physical and digital presences. His changes also included a new name. The store had been known as Yankee Discount Wine & Spirits. Removal of one word erased any doubt that this location catered to today's consumer of premium craft alcohol. "We're not a discount store," Ciskey says. BRING ON THE BEER Yankee's new owner always specialized in craft beer. Ciskey first gained deep in- terest in the category after a 2002 trip to Cooperstown, New York, and the nearby Ommegang craft brewery. When he took over at Yankee Wine & Spirits, he prior- itized improving the craft beer selection. "It's easily doubled now," he explains, "though the space has stayed the same. We've just maximized it." Sure enough, the shelves of the craft beer aisle are packed tight. Customers who walk into the store are greeted by the mix-six display. It's a newer program that has found success. "Today's beer drinker has tasting ADD," Ciskey says. "They want to try new stuff without committing to a 4- or 6-pack." Most stores by now offer mix-six options. Some retailers allow custom- ers to pick singles for these out of any available 6-packs, but Yankee doesn't. It makes for an "inventory nightmare," Ciskey says, as there will be 6-packs missing a single — becoming 5-packs — throughout the beer section. "And we're big on aesthetics here," he adds. The store is also big on IPAs and local breweries, both of which are top sellers. Ciskey believes that the country's on- going IPA craze is particularly strong in New England. He has had trouble keep- ing certain regional breweries in stock, like New York's newly opened SingleCut. "It's flying off the shelves," Ciskey reports. On the opposite end of the sales spectrum, bombers have fallen out of favor among customers. Although cer- tain popular bottles still sell well, like the CUSTOMERS WHO WALK INTO THE STORE ARE GREETED BY THE MIX-SIX DISPLAY. UNDER MANAGEMENT new BY KYLE SWARTZ PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENDRA BOBOWICK

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