Retail unfiltered dives behind the counter to uncover the real people of Australia’s liquor retail industry. This week we meet Brad Sullivan, Store Manager of The Oaks Hotel’s Bottlemart located within the Sydney pub. With over 20 years of liquor retail experience, Sullivan shares his love of craft beer and passion for building memorable instore experiences to keep his customers coming back.
Sullivan’s liquor retail career began straight out of high school in his local BWS, which at the time he said felt like it would be just another job.
“It wasn’t much, but I got to learn the basics. But what I loved most then were the customers and community. When people are buying drinks, they weren’t shopping because they need to or have to – it’s because they wanted to. They don’t stop for a transaction – they came for an interaction.”
After a brief career in in trading commodities, Sullivan was eventually drawn back to doing what he had learned to love at a young age, landing a job as a Store Manager for Camperdown Cellars in Cremorne then Bronte.
“I wasn’t fond of what I was doing and realised that it’s better to love what you’re doing and do what you love. I was lucky enough to work alongside some heavy hitters in the industry, mentoring me along the way.”
Sullivan said this experience equipped with a deep understanding of the inner workings of the liquor industry and was also the beginning of his love for craft beer – and his soft spot for West Coast IPAs.
“It was only just starting to boom in Sydney and once I realised that craft wasn’t just a fad I was into it. I moved on to manage Cutty Cellars and The Crafty Club. With 17 fridge doors dedicated to limited release craft beer. Every single person visiting us knew they were there for an experience.”
An experience to remember
Taking his knowledge of creating memorable instore experiences, Sullivan was eager for a change and in 2023 took on the challenge of working in a new environment with a different demographic of pubgoers at The Oaks Hotel Bottlemart.
“The challenge I face most is getting people to realise that the bottle shop is more than a convenience on their way out of the venue. It’s a standalone and (almost) always open (and later than other bottle stores in the area). Many people just don’t realise there’s a liquor store attached to the venue.”
In his time at The Oaks, Sullivan has worked on building customer relations from scratch – the kind that keeps people coming back.
“The goal to get customers to return is key, not just because they’re leaving the venue after a drink and a meal and it’s a convenient detour – but because they want to make the return trip to the shop itself,” he said.
“Although cliché, my goal is to build rapport, discovery and a sense of wonderment when someone walks through the door. I like my customers feeling like they’re a kid in a candy store.”
Sullivan added that with wonderment he hopes to evoke curiosity through the store’s range of products and his ability to share his knowledge with customers.
“Whether it’s craft beer, wines from small, niche vineyards or that spirit they heard about but never came across. ‘What is this?’, ‘Why does it exist?’, ‘I want to try it’ or ‘How do you have this?’, are just music to my ears.
“I think it gives them a reason to come back, talk about and explore what else they might be missing out on. I don’t deal in simply selling booze, I deal in sharing experiences.”
Picking the products people come back for
Social media, Sullivan noted, has been an effective tool in running his store, not only to advertise but as a search engine.
“I’m always on the hunt, identifying trends and who the new players on the block are, what the locals might be interested in and then making a move from there.”
Last summer Sullivan noted, seeing the popular Limoncello Spritz across social media before the trend had completely taken hold, which was influential in his choice to stock similar products.
“We are still riding that wave,” he said. “Our customers have already cemented that we had it for them before somewhere else and we’ll continue to have it for them as long as they want it.”
As a result of economic and industry challenges, he is finding it more difficult to explore possibilities both instore and online.
“With excise duty tax and cost of living always on the rise, it’s increasingly difficult for retailers and consumers to explore options. Everyone is after a bargain. They’ll stick to something they’ve found which is great value for weeks on end. Then suddenly they’ll switch to something else. Not because it’s more economical or better value, but because it’s different.”
Looking ahead, Sullivan hopes by evolving his range and creating a strong community within his store, that it will leave a lasting effect on customers.
“It’s about more than customers who come in to buy drinks – it’s about a community where regulars come in to discover new products, have a chat about what’s been happening in life etc. That’s what I am working on.”