Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics July-Aug 2012

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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EDITOR'S NOTE Innovation and Other Business Drivers I recently attended the National Alcohol Beverage Control Associations's (NABCA) 75th Annual Conference in Marco Island, FL. For those of you who may not know, the NABCA is an organization that brings together officials from all the control jurisdictions in the U.S., and, among several key functions, serves as a facilitator for the various control states to interact with one another. While the four- day meeting dealt with many control state issues, it also addressed a whole host of concerns relevant to the entire beverage alcohol industry. For example, Rob Sands, president and ceo of Constellation Brands, made Sr. Vice President and Group Publisher email: cforman@m2media360.com Editor-in-Chief Charles Forman Tel: 845-426-6072 Fax: 845-426-6423 email: rbrandes@m2media360.com Richard Brandes Tel: 212-353-3832 Fax: 212-353-8214 Managing Editor Jeremy Nedelka a presentation that touched on many areas of the beverage alcohol business, past and present. He emphasized that these days product innovation is responsible for much of the growth throughout the industry. In fact, he noted that products on the market for less than 24 months represented 82% of last year's growth in spirits and 64% of the growth in wine. Those are eye-opening statistics that most retailers would probably be quick to confirm anecdotally, given the enormous number of new flavors and other types of brand line extensions currently cramming their way onto retailers' shelves. industry and that all involved have to be prepared to adapt quickly. One of the conference seminars addressed the issue of the effectiveness of Sands also touched on the accelerating pace of change throughout the in-store sampling. Jim Short, director of marketing for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board gave a broad overview of the success he's had with an in-store sampling program in a select group of Pennsylvania's state stores. These days, where legal, many retailers across the country recognize the boon to sales that store sampling can bring. Indeed, Short articulated a list that should cause any retailer to consider holding in-store tastings if he or she isn't currently holding them. For instance, he said, with a dizzying 4.500 different brands in the marketplace, actual on-site tastings can help educate consumers about what they might like before they make a purchase. Tastings also create an opportunity to start a conversation with a customer while, at the same time, creating an atmosphere for up-selling that customer. A sampling program can also attract new customers to your store, he noted, as well as help get employees excited. It can also help drive gift sales during the holidays. Overall, he said, sampling sends a clear, positive message to consumers regarding your store. Finally, let me paraphrase Peter Ricchiuti, a professor at Tulane Harriet Lembeck F. Paul Pacult Robert Plotkin Michael Sherer Cheryl Ursin Contributing Editors Dan Berger Vice President of Sales, Associate Publisher Anthony Bongiovanni tbongiovanni@m2media360.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Mark Marcon mmarcon@m2media360.com Senior Regional Sales Manager Debbie Rittenberg drittenberg@m2media360.com Art Director Adam Lane Senior Research Analyst Adam Rogers List Rental Manager Cheryl Naughton RETAILER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Charles Bailes III ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Orlando, FL Ralph Bondon Berbiglia's, Kansas City, MO David Breitstein Duke of Bourbon, Canoga Park, CA Jim Shpall Applejack Liquors, Wheat Ridge, CO Hal Gershman Happy Harry's Bottle Shop, Grand Forks, ND Charles Sonnenberg Frugal MacDoogal's, Nashville, TN Greg Wonsmos Centennial, Dallas, TX University's A.B. Freeman School of Business, who, in his presentation titled, "Economics 101," pointed out that the economy, while not great, is actually doing a lot better than people give it credit for. For example, he said, while our recession in the U.S. ended in July 2009, 75% of Americans believe we're still in a recession. He added that our gross domestic product has grown for 12 consecutive quarters and that private sector hirings, while again not great, have been averaging 150,000 a month, compared to the loss of 6.5 million jobs during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. And, he noted, the stock market has doubled since March 2009. Sometimes, real facts can be comforting. M2MEDIA360 President/CEO Marion Minor Vice President, Finance & Operations Gerald Winkel Senior Vice President, Audience Development Joanne Juda-Prainito Vice President, Operations and Human Resources Mary Jo Tomei Beverage Dynamics is published by The Beverage Information Group a division of M2MEDIA360 Ron Junge Brown Derby Stores, Springfield, MO Dan Manning Haskell's, Minneapolis, MN Burt Notarius Premier Liquors, Kemmore, NY Richard Brandes, Editor-in-Chief 6 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2012 Editorial and executive offices at 17 High St., 2nd Fl., Norwalk, CT 06851 Telephone: (203) 855-8499 Fax: (203) 855-9446 E-mail: rbrandes@m2media360.com

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