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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/751263
www.beveragedynamics.com November/December 2016 • Beverage Dynamics 17 happen since 2010 and as we continue to update stores, we expect that to continue." Growth in markets following rebrands varies, particularly over time, say officials, and some rebrands don't produce dramatic market lift. But, overall, the trend is a positive one. Understanding that a new, rebranded Fine Wine & Good Spir- its store can draw business away from other stores in the area, the PLCB evaluates the sales impact on the market surrounding a new or rebranded store. In fiscal year 2015-16, a total of 22 marketing areas comprised of 62 stores (up to four stores surrounding each rebranding project and new location) were monitored. Sales figures show that rebranding and expanding has paid off. Sales for all 22 marketing areas monitored this year increased by 5.46 percent, with some markets performing dra- matically well. TURNING AROUND A NEGATIVE PERCEPTION The move to the new-style stores started more than ten years ago, Horst says. "Back then, the board and the marketing de- partment went out and did a request for proposals for branding services to come in and research options for a new brand for us. Consequently, the Fine Wine & Good Spirits brand was devel- oped through customer focus groups. But what really came out of the focus groups was to create a retail brand separate from the image of a government state store." It's important to take a step back and look at the evolution of the Pennsylvania stores, once known for their austere and foreboding appearances, with few bottles on display and those all behind a tall counter. "The PLCB was created in 1933 to restrict access to alcohol, so the first stores were dispensary-style with bars and cages," says Elizabeth Brassell, PLCB's director of communications. "Now we have evolved in the interest of customer service and improving customer experience. The idea to develop a more comfortable and welcoming brand came out of a lot of criti- cism for the clinical feeling of what were called 'Soviet-style stores'." Only last fall the PLCB eliminated its last counter-ser- vice store, where customers ordered from a menu and a clerk went searching for the item. "As the laws got more flexible, we took advantage of the opportunity to become a more well-re- ceived brand," she says. Clearing the hurdle of the new brand name was a minor challenge; these were still government stores and removing the state name was a bit of a leap for an agency used to being the face of alcohol retail. But the new name focuses on the positive image the PLCB wanted to reflect, and has created the break from the past the agency sought. The next hurdle was how to create a better atmosphere - a welcoming shopping environment and upgraded cus- tomer service - that encouraged visitors to spend more time "We operate within a state of level population and we've been able to grow sales over all each year. The 'Fine Wine & Good Spirits' brand has allowed that to happen since 2010 and as we continue to update stores, we expect that to continue." — Dale Horst, director of marketing and merchandising