Adrian Moelands has been named the new General Manager of Thirsty Camel, Victoria, replacing Mia Lloyd who is now the Head of Exclusive Liquor Brands at Coles.
Moelands has a strong background in the liquor and convenience space, having most recently spent 18 months looking after the Victorian field team at Mars Confectionary and before that he spent 10 years at CUB where he was instrumental in the launch of its specialist craft beer team, The Beer Collective.
Speaking of his appointment, Moelands told National Liquor News: “The industry knowledge and diversity of experience I have gathered along the journey, have set me up for success as far as understanding what we require as a business at Thirsty Camel in a changing market”.
“The opportunity for us is to really win in convenience and own ‘on the go’ retailing. We do liquor really well, however there is opportunity to increase our offer in other categories to fulfil shoppers needs for all occasions, such as food and confectionery – so we’re not just known as a purely a liquor store.”
Thirsty Camel Victoria has begun the trial of its ‘Perfect Store’ program, which aimed to better utilise space in stores by moving ambient products into fridges, creating room for tasting areas in-store and a greater shopping experience. So far four stores have undergone the Perfect Store refit, and Moelands said whilst its only early, results have been positive across all categories. Over the next 12 to 18 months, Thirsty Camel will look to roll the learnings from the Perfect Store program to further stores.
Another focus for the business will be the launch of version two of its Hump Club loyalty program. “Our loyalty program is definitely our big play for the next 12 months,” said Moelands. “Hump Club version two is launching, which is a truly 100 per cent loyalty program where you’ll be rewarded for every dollar you spend in-store.
We will also be broadening the core range with a greater focus on craft beer, health and wellbeing.
“We’re working to increase our range to ensure Thirsty Camel is relevant for all consumers, whilst we are strong in beer & RTDs, we believe the opportunity to expand our offering in all categories. In the better for you space we look to capitalise on trends like kombucha, organics and low/zero alcohol beer. As consumers become more health conscious we need to adapt our offering.
Thirsty Camel Victoria will hold its second annual Summit in Byron Bay on 9 September, and National Liquor News will chat with Adrian Moelands once again after that date to bring you the outcomes of the Summit.