14 Beverage Dynamics • November/December 2016
www.beveragedynamics.com
But there was DeNiro, meeting with a select number of shoppers to promote his
own vodka brand at the grand opening of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium
Collection Store in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The appearance at the opening last
March of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) retail unit was just another
sign of how far the state has come in its major initiative to rebrand, reformat and
enliven many of its network of 601 stores.
Called Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, the rebranded outlets have been coming
slow and steady; during fi scal year 2015-16, 35 store rebranding projects were com-
pleted, bringing the grand total to 135 rebranded units, with 45 coming up within the
current fi scal year. As the PLCB said in its entry that won the StateWays magazine
"Best Retail Innovation" award, "The store rebranding effort is intended to improve
the in-store shopping experience for consumers, build brand loyalty among our cus-
tomers and deliver short- and long-term returns on the investment." (StateWays is a
sister publication of Beverage Dynamics that covers the control state market)
Chief operating offi cer and executive director Charlie Mooney was director of
retail operations for a few years during the launch of the rebranding, and says the
efforts have paid dividends in the areas where the store changes have occurred, in
some cases as a result of units being opened in new locations.
It's not every day that
Robert DeNiro shows
up in a wine and spirits
shop. It certainly was
a rare sight in Pennsyl-
vania, where state-op-
erated stores have not
often been considered
the sort of cutting-edge
location where fi lm stars
promote their wares.
NEW STORE NEW STORE NEW STORE
BRAND PUTS PLCB BRAND PUTS PLCB BRAND PUTS PLCB
on
Top
BY JACK
ROBERTIELLO
