It was a triple celebration for Endeavour Group this week following the announcement of the winners of the Retail Drinks Industry Awards 2021. 

The Retail Drinks Industry Awards, hosted by Retail Drinks Australia, are the peak national awards for Australia’s retail liquor industry.

Shorty’s Liquor was named Online Liquor Retailer of the Year, Dan Murphy’s Alphington received the accolade for Large Format Liquor Store of the Year and BWS store manager Matthew Schier, 31, was named Liquor Store Manager of the Year.

“This is by far my biggest achievement,” Schier (above) said. “It was amazing to be nominated let alone win an award on a national level. It’s still sinking in – when I look back at the caliber of people who have won this award in previous years, it feels very humbling.

“I’d like to thank my peers and managers at BWS, who have supported and helped me over the years,” he added. 

The awards are judged by a panel of leading industry experts. For the Liquor Store Manager of the Year awards, the panel evaluates the nominee’s leadership skills, commitment to continued development and overall success of the business. 

The panel recognised both the outstanding work that Matt has done as the store manager for BWS Parap Tavern, in the Northern Territory, but also his ability to maintain a high level of responsible service and compliance in the most regulated jurisdiction in the country.

“Our BWS stores also go above and beyond regulations with several self-imposed restrictions and practices in place like certain products we won’t sell and our own MUP on specific products. As a manager, you need to ensure all these policies and restrictions are always followed,” he explained. 

During the COVID-lockdown, Schier was also able to help team members from sister business ALH hotels – which had to close – to find work in the 16 BWS stores in the NT.

“It was great to be able to supply work to six casual employees that otherwise would have had no work due to the venues closing. This involved significant training, consultation and open communication to ensure the transition was successful,” he said. 

“2020 was a challenging year in the industry, with things changing constantly and having to be very agile to keep up with constant safety and process changes, so it’s very rewarding to receive an award at the back of a year unlike no other,” he added. 

Schier said that he is also passionate about creating a great team. 

“I get the most fulfillment in my role by seeing my team and my peers succeed. This year I developed my team by having open conversations around their needs, giving them confidence to provide feedback, giving consistent feedback in return and recognising great behaviour, ideas and contribution,” he added. 

Schier has been the manager of Parap Tavern BWS for 18 months, and has been employed by BWS in the NT for almost eight years. 

BWS Managing Director Scott Davidson said: “We are incredibly proud of Matt, and he always receives a lot of internal recognition for his achievements, so it’s wonderful to finally see him being celebrated for his achievements and at such a big, prestigious national awards show nonetheless!”

“We are always supporting our team members to develop and achieve their goals, so we look forward to continuing supporting Matt on his very successful journey with BWS.”

Regarding the win for the Dan Murphy’s Melbourne store, Endeavour said: “It’s the pinnacle of awards for retail drinks, recognising the efforts of our Alphington team …Congratulations to Store Manager Chris Brown and the entire team”

Meanwhile, Shorty’s noted: “What a year it’s been! We are thrilled to have been awarded Online Liquor Retailer of the Year.
 
“We are so proud of our team and partners who have gone above and beyond to help our customers through COVID, including the launch of a world-first virtual gifting experience. This year Shorty’s celebrates 20 incredible years in the business. We can’t wait to see what the next 20 hold for us!”

2021 Retail Drinks Industry Awards winners

Liquor Store of the Year: Bermagui Cellars

Large Format Liquor Store of the Year: Dan Murphy’s, Alphington (Endeavour)

Online Liquor Retailer of the Year: Shortys, (Endeavour)

Liquor Store Owner of the Year: Scott Towers, Red Bottle Group, NSW

Liquor Store Manager of the Year: Matthew Schier, BWS Parap Tavern, NT (Endeavour)

Young Liquor Retailer of the Year: Tegan Clemow, Retail Liquor Specialists Group ACT

Beer Supplier of the Year: CUB

Wine Supplier of the Year: TWE

Spirits Supplier of the Year: Diageo

National Supplier of the Year: CUB

Beer Representative of the Year: Liam Thomson, Capital Brewing

Wine Representative of the Year: Steve Carrero, Berton Vineyards

Spirits Representative of the Year: Luca Losapio, Campari Australia

National Sales Representative of the Year: Luca Losapio, Campari Australia

This is Australia’s liquor store of the year