Coles Liquor has announced the launch of a pilot that will see selected Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market stores rebranded as Liquorland stores.
Launching in November, all stores in South Australia, including six First Choice Liquor Market and three Vintage Cellars will be rebranded, along with two First Choice Liquor Market stores in Queensland and three Vintage Cellars stores in Victoria. They will convert into Liquorland Cellars and Liquorland Warehouse stores.
Liquorland Cellars will target upmarket shoppers, Liquorland Warehouse will be the largest format carrying the broadest range, while Liquorland will remain focused on convenience.
The pilot represents the latest phase of the Liquorland transformation that has seen the conversion of more than 600 stores to the banner’s updated black & white format.
The first black & white Liquorland store was launched in Melbourne’s Oakleigh in May 2020.
Coles Liquor Chief Executive Michael Courtney (above) said: “This is an exciting next step for Liquorland which over the last four years has undergone an extensive transformation that has clearly resonated with our customers. We want our other banners to benefit from its strong brand awareness and large store network.”
Courtney told The Australian the trial rebranding of some stores under the single Liquorland banner could be taken nationally, “ending the diffuse and sometimes confusing retail liquor offer from Coles that features three different brands”.
“We absolutely feel that we can be a stronger business by uniting under Liquorland as the ultimate brand,” he said.
“We feel that way because we think it allows us to step back and re-evaluate what our customer value proposition is and under the Liquorland brand we will be able to bring the best of each of the three brands.
“And I do feel that in terms of having the team focus on one customer proposition out in the market, it will allow us to move faster and to deliver better on what our brand proposition is, because competing in a market with three different brands, trying to stand for three different things, does add a level of complexity.”
Courtney said customer research had been supportive of the change.
“When we look at the First Choice liquor customers, and if we were to say, if we were to make this change, would it make you shop more with us, shop the same amount with us, or shop less? Fifty-five per cent of customers were saying, ‘I’d shop more, or a lot more,’ and only 5% of customers were saying they would shop less,” he said.
The rebranding will also allow Coles Liquor to move to one loyalty program across all three of its banners.