Coles looks to fold Vintage Cellars and First Choice into Liquorland
Coles is launching a major assault on rival Dan Murphy’s by rebranding its Vintage Cellars and First Choice liquor stores as Liquorland stores.
The supermarket giant will undertake a pilot program that will see nine stores across Victoria, Queensland, and SA rebranded in November, with Vintage Cellars to be Liquorland Cellars, and First Choice Liquor Market becoming Liquorland Warehouse.
Any national rollout will be determined by the outcomes of the trial.
Coles’ liquor chief executive Michael Courtney 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,” Courtney said.
“We want our other banners to benefit from its strong brand awareness and large store network.”
Hulsbosch were behind the brand strategy, positioning, logo, visual identity, signage system and brand guidelines for Liquorland.
“Our focus remains on providing our customers with great value,” Courtney continues, “and we’re confident that by bringing together the best elements of Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars, we will be able to provide our customers with competitive offers on the drinks they love most.”
Coles liquor division brought in $3.7 billion in FY24, however gained just 0.5%, with earnings down 14% from FY23, to $144 million.
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The brilliance of the Dan Murphy’s brand is that the old eponymous bloke on the sign kind of winks at you and tells you ‘it’s okay mate, have a drink, you’ve earned it.’
Plus everyone loves to leave a cheeky online review on the $50k bottle of artisan 50 year old whiskey by proudly posting that it “Goes great with LA Ice cola”
Unless the data says otherwise, Vintage Cellars was a stronger, more premium brand compared to Liquorland in my eyes
“Yes yes let’s unintentionally make it even more obvious that Aussies live in a monopoly/duopoly” – private equity firms
Probably a good idea, First Choice never really worked. it was “big box” but not as “big big box” as Dan Murphys. First Choice is premium but not as premium as indies and could be located next liquor lands leading to cannibalization.
Rolling up First Choice makes sense, but pulling Vintage Cellars down into the fold is a massive own goal as it’s currently positioned above Dan Murphys as a more premium offering. It’s like Lexus choosing to rename themselves as Toyota Plus.
What a strategically stupid idea. Watch this fail fast.
And with this they blow up the value they had in most customers (who are outside the industry) not knowing that Coles own Vintage Cellars. Liquourland Cellars, gimme a break.
Explains why they redesigned Liquorland to be a black brand a while ago though – and homogenised it at the same time.
They’re shifting deck chairs here.
Im exclusively an Amatos Liquor Mart in Leichhardt guy.
Liquorland Cellars? Vintage Cellars is a much classier name.
It’s a shame that they recently rebranded to something lacking desirability or retail visual impact. Dull and devoid of distinctive brand assets other than the name. This shift in business strategy, which makes sense on the face of it, would have been the perfect trigger to do it properly and bring a well known brand into something much more engaging.
Even if it is built on a word that only people in the industry use. Liquor. No actual people use that word.
I agree with Costa – liquor retail needs personality, aspiration and fun. (but not the lame as hell zone descriptors in a Liquorland). And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE enough with the “warehouse” – this lame Bunnings-aping big box love affair has got to stop.
But let’s face it, while joy from “liquor” is widespread, joy from Australian retail is a rare and precious vintage indeed.