Business partners and longtime friends Rhys Davy and Andy Sutcliffe are part of their community through their local bottle shops. They support BBQs, sponsor local sporting clubs and community events like Candlelight Christmas Carols. They love having the best liquor store in town with Cellarbrations.
They joined the network some time ago and their experience with the IBA network has been nothing short of exceptional. They are quick to praise the seamless process encountered from the very first meeting with the IBA team.
Davy explained: “We can’t say enough good things about our experience with IBA. From the initial meetings, the IBA team guided us through the full strategy, offering and plans for our business. The project management and execution were second to none. It’s just been first class, very professional,
“Since being on board, we have seen our businesses transform to be part of the fabric of the community and the sales come with it,” he added.
Jason Strong, Business Development Manager at IBA shared: “It is a real pleasure working with passionate retailers such as Rhys and Andy from the North Coast Liquor Group. From our very first meeting you could tell they wanted to step change their stores and create great shopping experiences for their community. We have helped them achieve that and they have seen growth instore since then.”
For Davy and Sutcliffe, it’s not just about selling products; it’s about being an integral part of their small town. They ensure that their staff are local and live within the community and it is an offering of their personalities which others can’t replicate.
“We want the service we provide to be different,” Davy explains. “The IBA programs are shopper driven but also provides us with broader flexibility to meet the unique needs of our community.”
The duo describes Championing Successful Independents and what it means to them: “It is having product available and delivered on time, programs that have shoppers coming back into store and gaining new ones.”
They’ve embraced the Cellabrations model, and the brand is important to them.
“We like to be competitive in terms of price and test ideas in our shop which might give us an edge over the competitors – we have trusted the process, and taken the advice,” Davy adds.
When asked what advice they would give to other retailers considering joining the IBA network, their advice is simple: trust the process.
“Everything the IBA team said to us, from the moment we sat down to discuss flipping stores, to executing major shop renovations, to rolling out programs and promotions – they’ve delivered on all of it,” Sutcliffe explains.
Their story is a testament to the power of partnership, community focus and the drive to succeed. With three Cellarbrations stores under their belts South West Rocks, Woolgoolga and West Kempsey, there is no stopping this duo.
This article originally appeared in the April-May issue of National Liquor News: