Paramount Liquor Sets Up in Sydney

Victorian wholesaler Paramount Liquor has opened a new distribution warehouse in Sydney as it continues to expand its own exclusive portfolio of brands.

Founder Mark Rowe told drinks bulletin the company’s new Sydney base is a 4000 square metre warehouse in Homebush Bay, allowing for turnover of between $150 million and $200 million worth of business a year.

The company has three representatives on the road in Sydney. The venture is currently headed up by Rowe’s son, Paramount Chief Operating Officer Leigh Rowe, with a state manager to be announced in due course.

Mark Rowe said the Sydney operation has exactly the same model as in its home state of Victoria, where Paramount is long established as a wholesaler to restaurants and bars, but has also recently stepped up expansion into the off-premise channel.

“We’ve got a very, very service-orientated company and we feel that the service levels in Sydney are below par,” he said.

“We reckon we can make an inroad – we’ve invested millions and millions up here and we’re here to have a go.”

Rowe said the move was driven in part by the continued expansion of Paramount’s own exclusive portfolio of brands.

“Because we’ve got so many varied businesses now, we need the shed to distribute,” he said.

Late last year, the company launched Artisan Handcrafted, a proprietary spirits agency.

Most recently, Paramount has become the Australian agent for the Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) brands out of the US, which include Portland’s Widmer Bros Brewing, Seattle’s Redhook Brewery and Hawaii’s Kona Brewing Company.

“That’s been in the wings for about three months and the first container arrives this week,” said Rowe.

CBA is a NASDAQ-listed company that is 32 per cent owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is also its American distribution partner.

Print PDF