Independent Liquor Group (ILG) has taken its Fleet Street banner to Queensland for the first time, with the first store revealed in Brisbane’s inner eastern suburbs last month.
Camp Hill Cellars, one of three detached bottle shops running off the Rocklea Hotel, is run by brothers Sam and Nick Ingham-Myers and has now converted to the Fleet Street banner. The prominent hotel-owning family has had its group of stores under ILG since 2013 and has been a huge supporter of the co-operative ever since.
Sam said the Fleet Street brand seamlessly blends into the charming local community of Camp Hill, with its relatively accomplished professionals looking for an upmarket range that the premium banner can provide. He also said the Fleet Street brand distinction extends to its street appeal and presence that exudes high quality and premiumisation, and is complemented by the support systems of ILG that the Ingham-Myers family has greatly valued over the past eight years.
“ILG understands the challenges of running a small business and has a team dedicated to lend a hand and be there to help us,” he said.
“It has been a wonderful journey being part of Australia’s largest liquor co-operative that has truly added value to our business.”
ILG’s General Manager for Queensland, Craig Stephenson, told National Liquor News the Camp Hill location was the perfect spot to launch the banner into the state, and has been received quite well since its soft launch at the start of August.
“Its demographic profile is an ideal fit to the brand’s offering, from presentation, shopping experience and premium range, it ticks all the boxes of the Fleet Street appeal which we are confident will highly satisfy the lifestyle and trends that the locals are looking for,” Stephenson said.
“Feedback from the locals has been great – the store appeal and the high end range of products have been well received. According to the store manager, the customers are very impressed with the shop layout, the premium products available and in general the pleasant service from the staff. Sales have also gone up for Camp Hill with per bottle spend on the rise.”
The current lockdown situation on much of the east coast delayed the launch of the Fleet Street offering for Camp Hill Cellars, and meant that ILG couldn’t yet host a grand opening celebration and went for a soft launch instead. The team plans to have a full Fleet Street launch once restrictions ease to allow a bit more normality again, to bring together locals and key interstate stakeholders in a warm welcome that the ILG family is known for.
And with such great results so quickly for Fleet Street in Queensland, Stephenson said there may be more openings to celebrate on the horizon.
“There are a lot of enquiries on the brand and at present we are evaluating these potential Fleet Street stores,” he said.
“We truly want to keep the consistency of the Fleet Street image being our premium brand offering and as such we want to make sure that potential stores we approve will be committed to adhering to the brand’s guidelines.
“We are confident that the positive results achieved from Camp Hill will be reassuring potential enquiries of the value in the brand.”
