Liquor Barons 2015 Conference – Queenstown

The 2015 Liquor Barons conference wrapped up last night with a cruise on the scenic Lake Wakatipu, courtesy of Pernod Ricard Australia; concluding three productive days of networking and imperative decision-making sessions.

Following a report on group position and a map of the year ahead, there was a genuine sense of optimism among the 105 Liquor Barons delegates that attended this year’s conference.

General Manager Chris O’Brien said: “Liquor Barons is now a co-operative of 60 predominately stand-alone liquor stores. We are now a high technology and high compliance model, and the Liquor Barons Group is a significant player in the Western Australian market”.

“Our technology is industry leading; full scan capability with every store having and an integrated POS system feeding back to head office.”

The theme for the conference was ‘The Importance of Category’, and armed with Liquor Barons and wider market data, leading suppliers put their customer insights and shopper marketing hats on to provide attending delegates insights usually not seen at store level.

The beer, wine and spirits category reviews came from Lion, Accolade and Pernod Ricard respectively, interspersed with presentations on Liquor Barons’ digital marketing and online strategic direction for the coming 12 months, and beyond.

“Our online offering, the loyalty program, refocusing marketing spend and tightening buying decisions are all key in positioning ourselves towards 2020”, said O’Brien.

And on the question of Liquor Barons considering a national approach: “We spent a lot of time working with a number of groups, but after due-diligence we found that it is probably four times more difficult to manage one store in NSW than it is to manage one store in WA. You never say never, but at this point we have looked at two groups very seriously, and the answer is no”.

A further two headline speakers motivated and informed delegates, tackling preconceptions and taking a captive audience on a ‘decision-based’ journey.

On day one it was Dr. Ross Walker who challenged ‘non-evidenced based’ anti-alcohol lobbyists, quoting numerous trials and scientific based evidence, showing that alcohol “is not [necessarily] an evil if consumed responsibly”.

Walker, an eminent cardiologist and regular presenter on 2UE, 3AW and Channel 9’s Today Show, provided telling insight into his views on living a healthy lifestyle and, in particular, incorporating a healthy and safe level of drinking.

“The body works on a 24-hour clock and you must respect that. The body can process a certain level of alcohol in that 24-hour period, so it’s no good abstaining for 5 days and then using up your weekly intake on Friday night. It doesn’t work that way.”

On day two, Mark “Squiz” Squirrell, ex-commando and aid-worker with the World Food Program took the audience on a journey into war-torn areas and to the summit of Everest, challenging them with a range of decisions to be made in tense and often life-threatening circumstances.

From Pakistan to Somalia and the West Bank, Liquor Barons retailers were challenged to avoid Israeli tanks, subdue a hungry crowd in Peshwar and survive Al Shabaab militia and frostbite on the south face of Everest.

All in a day’s work of a Western Australian liquor retailer.

Print PDF