Doug May from Lion presents Josh Towers the award for Liquor Store of the Year
Josh Towers, the Manager of Red Bottle Pitt Street, has been named the 2018 LSA NSW & ACT (LSA) Young Liquor Retailer of the Year.
On top of that, the store that he manages, Red Bottle Pitt Street, was also named the Liquor Store of the Year.
Towers, who was understandably ecstatic following his wins, told National Liquor News that he has “never felt better”.
“The other finalists that I was up against are truly fantastic retailers in their own right, and to be acknowledged as one of them is amazing.
“I am very proud to be a part of the Red Bottle team, the training and other opportunities they have offered me have helped me to better myself.”
He will now be entered into the national Young Liquor Retailer competition and will go up against other winners from each state, including Corey Terry from the Vantage Group in Tasmania, who was named the South Eastern Australian Young Liquor Retailer last month. The national winner will be announced in mid-2019.
Among other things, the national winner will receive an ‘observer’ seat on the board of Retail Drinks Australia alongside representatives from Coles Liquor, Endeavour Drinks Group, Australian Liquor Marketers (ALM), among others.
Towers continued: “I feel that everyone in the liquor industry are very close team ultimately working towards the same goal. Now that I’m a part of such, I see endless opportunities to do better each day.”
To enter the Young Liquor Retailer competition entrants must first submit a written application and then finalists are asked to participate in a phone interview.
“The nomination involves firstly a written submission consisting of a series of questions whereby you discuss your experiences in the industry so far, your ambitions for the future, and your whole reason for being here – what makes you passionate.
“If you are successful in becoming a finalist, you conduct a phone interview with a panel of select and highly esteemed individuals from the industry who ask you another series of questions to a similar effect.”
And so what set Towers apart? He says it was the support and opportunities that Red Bottle has given to him throughout his career.
“I have had the opportunity and time in the business to really focus on what our local customer wants from a liquor store. Then I’ve been able to really utilise that experience and knowledge to focus on delivering those things. I have been able to source specific products to meet the local demographic, cater tasting functions for select customers in their offices, and employ staff who have the same drive to learn and do better each day.
“Red Bottle has given me the flexibility and trust to cater the store’s offering to the local demographic, from which I have been able to train my team up on specific product knowledge, and really offer a terrific shopping experience.
“The team here really cares about ensuring each customer is truly taken care of, and feels the value they deserve.”
National Liquor News would like to congratulate both Josh Towers and Corey Terry and wish them all the best in the national competition next year.