Coles Liquor

from Drinks Guide 2019

Campari Australia

SUPPLIER PARTNERS COLES LTD.

CATHI SCARCE, HEAD OF LIQUOR

The Australian market and customer landscape is changing faster than ever before, and the face of retail is being redefined by new customer expectations and the influence of global entrants.

Coles Liquor is focused on understanding our customers evolving needs and ensuring that we have a business not only fit for the customer of today but also the customer of tomorrow.

As a result we are accelerating work to enhance our online customer experience ensuring that there is a seamless link between online and our bricks and mortar store offering as customer blur the lines and blend the two channels together.

Customers have also told us that value is about more than just price. Quality, range, convenience and availability are the cornerstones of the new value equation with trusted pricing now a ticket to play rather than a competitive advantage.

In a dynamic market, customers are looking for innovation and exciting new products especially in emerging new categories. They are eager to understand where their beverages come from and the story behind them. The movement towards supporting smaller, bespoke wineries, distilleries and craft brewers continues to grow and our customers expect to find these products in our stores. As a result we work hard to ensure we stock a selection of well-known and loved drinks, as well as supporting emerging boutique products. The customer high demand for new and differentiated products also means that our exclusive brand products continues to grow, particularly in the wine category.

In the first half of the financial year we launched more than 50 new exclusive products, with over 80 brands winning awards and medals this year. This is testament to our commitment of working with our suppliers to deliver really great products to our customers. In 2018, 27 wines sold exclusively at Vintage Cellars, First Choice Liquor and Liquorland were acknowledged at the Winestate Best Wines of 2018 Awards, including the Story Bay Semillion Sauvignon Blanc, which was named best wine under $20.

As the pace of change accelerates, I am focused on establishing a business cadence that enables us to deliver at pace, imbedding agility into our operating rhythm.

This means empowering the business at all levels whilst building a diverse team and inclusive culture reflecting the communities we work in. In Coles Liquor, 50 per cent of our senior leadership team and 50 per cent of our liquor state managers are women.

I am really proud of what Coles Liquor has achieved over the past year and I am very excited about delivering the next evolution of our business.