AUSTRALIA | Coles Liquor Group has announced that, following a successful trial, the retailer will commence the national alignment of Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market under the Liquorland brand.
Starting next month, the rollout will see all Coles Liquor stores united under the Liquorland brand: Liquorland, Liquorland Cellars, and Liquorland Warehouse. The purpose is to deliver a consistent experience and greater value for customers, no matter where they shop.
The new store formats will simplify the customer offer across 984 stores by aligning product range, promotions, Flybuys loyalty program, and omnichannel service - all underpinned by Liquorland’s new Price Match Promise.
The 16-week pilot program, trialed at 14 selected stores in South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland, demonstrated increased brand awareness and customer engagement, repeat visits, and overall greater shopping satisfaction.
Coles Liquor Chief Executive Michael Courtney said the announcement represented a significant milestone for the business, combining the best elements of all three brands across value, range, and convenience.
“This is the biggest transformation in the history of Coles Liquor Group, and we believe it will have a meaningful impact on how we serve customers the drinks they want, when they want them, and how we partner with suppliers to deliver value,” said Courtney.
“As we move towards a unified promotional strategy, we are strengthening our value proposition for customers with consistent and competitive pricing under one brand and website. Customers will be able to benefit from the country’s most-loved rewards programme, Flybuys, and access our Price Match Promise, which means if you see a better price at another retailer, we’ll match it."
In terms of range, Courtney said Coles will bring a more tailored and relevant drink selection from the three banners under one roof. This means Coles will unlock the best-selling premium drops from Vintage Cellars and great-value drinks from First Choice Liquor Market and make them more accessible to customers through Liquorland across the country.
He added that the pilot programme's results exceeded expectations across all measures.
"We were pleased to see brand awareness improve by 16 percent and found customers visited our stores more frequently, and 30 percent of customers who shopped at our pilot stores said they plan to shop with us more often compared to before the rebrand. These results give us full confidence that uniting under the Liquorland brand is the way forward not just for us as a business but for our customers.”
The rollout, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will transform around 160 Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market stores. The program will increase Liquorland’s footprint by 25 percent, with many stores near or adjacent to a Coles supermarket.
Since November 2024, Coles Liquor has converted 14 stores to Liquorland Cellars and Liquorland Warehouse, including nine stores in South Australia, three Vintage Cellars stores in Victoria and two First Choice Liquor Market stores in Queensland.
The Liquorland pilot marked the beginning of the next phase in its transformation journey, which over the past five years has seen more than 670 stores revamped to the new black-and-white format, which includes a more spacious store layout, clearer in-store signage, and a tailored range.
Liquorland first launched in Australia in 1971 and currently has 818 stores across the country.
