Porter’s is not only set to achieve its aim of opening 100 stores over the next few years, but over the coming months the group will open stores in Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, and with one already trading in Victoria, it will be a true national chain.
Giuseppe Minissale, the Head of Supplier Engagement and Investment at Australian Liquor Marketers (ALM) says that a significant investment has been made in both the new and existing stores and they are “reaping the rewards” from that investment.
“We’ve been investing in our current stores and acquiring new stores, and this has resulted in strong growth in both sales volumes and store numbers.” says Minissale.
He says: “Consumers are looking for vibrant, upbeat, renovated shops that are hitting current market trends. Every time we invest in the tailored refurbishment of a Porter’s store there is a strong uplift in sales for that store.”
This new direction for Porter’s has seen the group raise its store count to 31 and Minissale said it’s been a “really exciting challenge” exploring new ways to make the Porter’s model work in different formats.
“The new stores in Victoria and Western Australia are adaptations of the Porter’s design. One of the things that we’re challenging ourselves with at Porter’s is making sure that if somebody has a great new idea, that we trial it. If the idea works, then we’ll look to roll it out more widely.
“For example, we’re trialing digital ticketing at our store in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, and we’ll watch that and see how it benefits the retailer. If feedback is positive, then we’ll look at whether other stores could benefit from it as well.”
The focus for Porter’s in 2020 will be to continue to grow and Minissale says that having a national footprint is the vision for the brand.