The Fall of the Wine Wall: How the Age of Traditional Retail is Dying
Posted on Thu 20th Aug 2015 at 12:38
According to a recent article in The Drinks Business, the traditional retail style of positioning wine bottles on uniform shelves – creating walls of wine - is now over.
The article features an interview with Stephen Finch, owner of Vagabond Wines, who states: “A creative crop of innovative wine merchants like Loki, Bottle Apostle and Hanging Ditch are offering a much more engaging and adventurous option. Whether it’s on-site eating and drinking, bottle refills or clever tastings, they are giving customers a reason to come in and stay longer.” It’s an approach that makes sense, given how far the retail landscape has changed in the last ten years. Established brands have been replaced by pop-ups, and the concept of shopping has increasingly evolved into something far more lifestyle focused. Wine retailers are capitalising on this in ever increasing ways, and the market's potential is demonstrated by the fact that other retailers are getting in on the act. Restaurants and pubs, for example, are starting to sell wines – allowing customers to take home a bottle that they’ve discovered in the venue. In terms of the traditional wine retailers, meanwhile, it is also expected that the diversification will continue. Borough Wines, for example, are creating a combined wine and book shop in Hastings, to capitalise on the benefits of encouraging customers to linger longer in one location, as well as of becoming a hub for the community. Diversification of this or any other kind is a particularly useful line to explore for independent wine shops, who have more freedom to be creative in how and what they sell. Do you have an innovative way of displaying or selling your wine? Have you diversified your premises? We’d love to hear from you so we can feature you in our blog!