By Deborah Jackson, editor National Liquor News
Australian Liquor Marketers (ALM) has acquired the New South Wales and Tasmanian licenses and day-to-day operations of the Thirsty Camel business as well as Big Bargain bottle shops in Tasmania.
In 2014 ALM acquired Liquor Traders Pty Ltd which controlled the marketing of 140 Thirsty Camel stores in Queensland.
This means that today, only the Victorian operations of the Thirsty Camel business remain under the ownership of United Inn-Keeper Association Limited.
Scott Marshall, the CEO of ALM, told TheShout that Thirsty Camel is a great fit for IBA’s suite of brands and he sees the opportunity to grow the drive-through business model in both NSW and Tasmania.
“Thirsty Camel is a great brand and on the back of our experience with that brand in Queensland we see an opportunity of growing the drive-through Thirsty Camel brand in both NSW and Tasmania and supporting their existing retailers,” said Marshall.
Big Bargain also operates a drive-through business model with more than 50 stores in Tasmania.
Earlier this month ALM announced that it had acquired the Porter’s Liquor business and would invest in that brand to more than double its footprint nationally.
TheShout will sit down with Scott Marshall in January to talk about ALM’s recent acquisitions and what they mean for IBA’s independent retail business model.