Get Your Private BC Liquor Store or Wine Store in Shape for the Summer

Now is the perfect time to get your private BC liquor store or wine store ready for summer. With pandemic restrictions relaxed, people are slowly returning to something that looks closer to “normal”. This shift back to pre-pandemic consumer behaviour should translate to more in-person shopping and thus sales…if your store is ready.

The following is a simplified overview of summer sales preparation steps:

Review “Normal” Summer Liquor Sales Data

Reviewing pre-pandemic sales data should give you a good idea of summer sellers that you’ll want to stock. Remember to look at local vs. international SKUs, beer, wine, and so called “refreshment beverages” which include cider, coolers and spritzers. According to the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, BC is following a global trend of increased refreshment beverage consumption. In BC, the category is expected to grow by 45% between 2019-2024. As reported in the Business in Vancouver article “Coolers are the B.C. booze markets hottest segment”, BCLDB quarterly sales for the quarter ending September 30, 2020, showed a 42.5% increase in the category’s sales.

Need help reviewing summer SKUs? Book a free consultation with a BC liquor licensing and operations expert.

Plan Summer Liquor Promotions & In-Store Marketing

Review sales data from your past summers’ promotions to find out which promos worked. Keep the obviously successful promos. If other promos didn’t work, can you answer “why”? Rework these less successful promotions or scrap them and brainstorm on other ideas. We can help here!

Need help with BC liquor store or wine store promotions? Book a free consultation.

Plan Summer Hiring & Training

Private BC liquor and wines stores are struggling to attract employees and keep them. According to the Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC) 2021 Annual LRS Survey Results, survey respondents reported the following about hiring and retaining staff.

Hiring staff:

• 67% of respondents said that hiring was “very challenging”
• 30% said hiring was “somewhat challenging”

Retaining staff:

• 38% said retaining staff was “very challenging”
• 46% said retaining staff was “somewhat challenging”

While the pandemic has made attracting and retaining employees more difficult, this is not the time to hire out of desperation. Review current job descriptions, job board posting channels used, and your own hiring practices. Revamp job descriptions focusing on the most attractive aspects of the job. We recommend taking the time to draft a winning job description, manage job postings, and interview candidates. If you rush employee acquisition or go to half measures because of a lack of time, you’ll wind up with a less-than-ideal candidate who probably won’t stay on the job for long.

Need help with job postings, interviews or training? Book a free consultation with a BC liquor licensing and operations expert.

Buy Ample Stock as Early as Possible

With global supply chains disrupted by the pandemic and local supply chains seemingly at increased risk because of natural disasters (remember last year’s heat dome and floods?), purchase summer SKUs as early as possible.

Need help selecting summer stock? Book a free consultation.

Thrive Consultants Can Get Your BC Liquor or Wine Store Ready for Summer

Whether you’re stuck for ideas or don’t have the time, Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors consultants can help your BC liquor or wine store ramp up for a successful summer. If you have questions about our BC liquor retail operations services, let’s chat!