By Andrew Starke
Wholesaler Metcash has recorded flat liquor sales with its Australian Liquor Marketers (ALM) division vowing to ‘win back the on-premise sector’.
Liquor sales figures for FY 2010 were virtually identical to the previous year, but earnings before interest and taxation rose by 6.9 percent.
ALM is a broad range liquor wholesaler supplying over 15,000 hotels, liquor stores, restaurants and other licensed premises throughout Australia.
Sales to Metcash subsidiary, Independent Brands Australia (IBA), banner groups Cellarbrations and IGA Plus Liquor were strong with the former up six percent and the latter up 11 percent.
There are now a total of 1503 IBA branded stores with 57 having been refurbished over the 12 months to June 30.
There are immediate plans for 50 more IBA and Liquor Alliance stores.
While ALM sales to the on-premise were down 10 percent over FY 2010, the group said it was actively seeking ways to ‘win back the on-premise sector’.
The company said it also had plans to build beer volume growth through increasingly becoming a ‘one-stop shop’ for the independent channel.