LiquorLand
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 145 stores[1] |
Area served | New Zealand |
| Products | Bottle shops |
| Parent | Foodstuffs |
| Website | www |
LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) is a franchise of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs.[2] LiquorLand is part of the Fly Buys and Airpoints loyalty schemes.[1]
Brands[edit]
LiquorLand (1981-present)[edit]
LiquorLand was established in 1981 as a franchise of independently owned liquor stores.[1] By 2002, under the ownership of DB Breweries, it had 72 stores.[3] By 2005, it had 80 stores.[4]
Foodstuffs purchased the franchise in 2009 for an undisclosed sum.[5] Woolworths Group had also attempted to purchase the chain.[6]
Birds Liquorsave (1991-2005)[edit]
Birds Liquorsave was established in Hamilton in 1991. It had seven stores in Hamilton, Rotorua, Thames and Tauranga by 2005.[7]
The Mill took over Birds Liquorsave in 2005, rebranding the stores as The Mill Liquorsave.[7][8] The stores were converted into LiquorLand stores, after Foodstuffs purchased The Mill in 2015.[9]
The Mill (1993-2015)[edit]
The Mill was established in New Plymouth in 1993.[10] It had 24 stores in 2004,[9] and had 31 stores by 2005.[7] It took over Birds Liquorsave in October 2005, rebranding the stores as The Mill Liquorsave.[7] It also introduced no-frills stores in March 2006.[8]
Independent Brewers, a Papakura-based alcohol company owned by Asahi Breweries,[11] purchased The Mill franchise in May 2013.[10] The franchise reached 35 stores; most were located in the North Island but none were located in Auckland.[12]
Independent Brewers sold The Mill to Foodstuffs for an undisclosed sum in October 2015,[13] The stores were converted into LiquorLand stores.[9] None of the stores were located in Auckland.
Duffy & Finn's (2006-2010)[edit]
Foodstuffs established the Duffy & Finn's alcohol chain in 2006. The first outlet, a small liquor store, opened in Porirua in August. The second outlet, a $1 million 800m² large-format store, opened in Pukekohe in November.[14][15]
The chain was based on Australian liquor chain Dan Murphy's. At the time, Woolworths Group had been understood to be planning to expand the chain to New Zealand.[16]
The Duffy and Finn's store was phased out following Foodstuffs' purchase of LiquorLand in 2009.[5] The two stores were continuing to operate in 2011.[17][18] The brand was removed from the Foodstuffs website in the last three months of that year.[18][19]
Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (2006-2023)[edit]
The first Henry's store was opened in Queenstown in October 2006.[16]
Foodstuffs purchased nine Imperial Discount Liquor stores in Kaikōura, Rangiora and Christchurch, rebranding them as Henry's from June 2007.[16] The Imperial Discount Liquor franchise had been operating since 2004.[20]
From late 2022, Foodstuffs began to phase out the Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirit brand. All 19 stores were converted to LiquorLand with the last store rebranding at the end of February 2023.
History[edit]
During the initial COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020, Foodstuffs was required to close its liquor stores and shift to online sales.[21] When the stores were allowed to reopen, they began surveying customers on how the stores and website could be improved.[22]
In 2021, Foodstuffs reached an agreement with The Trusts, to allow some of its WestLiquor stores in West Auckland to be re-branded as LiquorLand.[23] Under the agreement, Foodstuffs can make recommendations on pricing.[24]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "About Liquorland". Liquorland New Zealand.
- ^ "Our Store Brands". foodstuffs-si.co.nz. Foodstuffs.
- ^ "DB Breweries buys 7 Liquorlands". Wilson & Horton. New Zealand Herald. 22 October 2002.
- ^ Chan, Karen (16 December 2005). "Cheaper liquor as chains keep growing". APN News & Media. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ a b "Foodstuffs buys Liquorland". stuff.co.nz. Business Day. 31 January 2009.
- ^ "Woolworths misses out an NZ Liquorland acquisition". Australian Food News. 31 October 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Liquor store gets new owner". APN News & Media. Bay of Plenty Times. 10 October 2005.
- ^ a b Dacruz, Michelle (12 March 2006). "The Mill launches no-frills liquor store". Wilson & Horton. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ a b c Gibson, Anne (7 October 2015). "Foodstuffs signs deal to acquire liquor stores". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ a b "New boy on block acquires The Mill". APN News & Media. New Zealand Herald. 21 May 2013.
- ^ Krause, Nick (18 August 2011). "Asahi buys Independent Liquor". stuff.co.nz. Business Day.
- ^ "The Mill". themill.co.nz. The Mill Holdings. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
- ^ Gibson, Nevil (8 October 2015). "Foodstuffs acquires The Mill liquor stores from Asahi". National Business Review.
- ^ "Foodstuffs opens Duffy & Finn's store in Auckland". APN News & Media. New Zealand Herald. 30 November 2006.
- ^ "Duffy & Finn's Arrives In The Auckland Region". scoop.co.nz. Foodstuffs. 30 November 2006.
- ^ a b c "Foodstuffs picks up more stores for Henry's chain". New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Press Association. 20 March 2007.
- ^ "Duffy and Finns". duffyandfinns.co.nz. Foodstuffs. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Foodstuffs Our Brands". foodstuffs.co.nz. Foodstuffs. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
- ^ "Foodstuffs Our Brands". foodstuffs.co.nz. Foodstuffs. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Imperial Discount Liquor". dnb.com. Dun & Bradstreet.
- ^ Coltman, Karen (25 August 2021). "Liquor deliverers 'like Santa' during lockdown". stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Wynn, Kirsty (30 May 2021). "Pandemic fatigue: Customer Radar data reveals consumers want good service without Covid excuse". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Clent, Danielle (8 July 2021). "Liquorland to operate in West Auckland, partnering with The Trusts". stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Keall, Chris (8 July 2021). "West Auckland booze war: The Trusts ink partnership with Liquorland - a new dawn?". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.