L-R: Paul Cains pictured with Shane Connolly from Accolade
Paul Cains, the owner of Urban Cellars Prohibition at Kingston in the ACT was named the Liquor Store Owner of the Year at the LSA NSW and Act (LSA) Retail Liquor Industry Awards for Excellence.
Cains, was understandably delighted with the win. He has been in the industry for 17 years and puts his success down to the high level of customer service that he and his staff offer.
“I just get on with it. I turn up, I listen to people, I get things done and I offer extraordinary customer service,” he said.
“I remember the customers’ names, I remember what they like to buy, and I help them pick new things too. I help them plan for special events and celebrations, and I deliver their special orders to their homes or event location. I make time for the reps and I support them in stocking new and emerging products that I believe will work in my area.”
In 2015, Cains placed his Prohibition Bottle Shop under the Urban Cellars banner, which is a part of the wider Hotel and Tourism Group including Liquor Legends and ClubsLink, under the recommendation of a colleague.
Cains’ philosophy is to always encourage his staff to familiarise themselves with their local customer base and to promptly respond to their needs.
“We have an extensive collection of spirits, and we are gaining a well-deserved reputation for being one of the few places in Canberra to visit if you want quirky spirits, especially whiskies and gins.
“We are also passionate supporters of local producers, evidenced by a whole fridge door of Canberra beers, a vast collection of Canberra Region wines and a huge range of gins, vodkas, whiskies and liqueurs all produced in the area.”
Cains thanks both the Hotel and Tourism Group and LSA for the recognition.
“There is no other group that offers the level of operational and business development support that we get from the team at Urban Cellars/Liquor Legends. We get amazing analysis of our sales figures, buying patterns and product trends, and consistent support for business growth and development. The team are responsive to our needs and seek to always assist us to serve our customers better and they are a lot of fun to work with, too.
“We like to support the LSA by participating actively in their awards programme, as they support us as small business owners in representing our needs to industry and government. We nominated for the award this year, in recognition of our businesses growth over the last 12 months, and to ensure that the ‘small guys’, people who own one or two sites and are actively engaged in the day-to-day operations, are represented in categories such as Store Owner of the Year.”