The Phillips Newman off-licence concept is encouraging consumers to trade up. Claire Hu takes a look
Many wine retailers would say placing a tasting table near the exit and asking customers to help themselves is asking for trouble. Yet the ploy has worked well for Phillips Newman, the new chain of wine merchants launched by Unwins last month, with 75% of those trying one of the six wines on the table going on to buy one or several bottles.
Walk into the flagship store in Kensington, London, and it’s clear Phillips Newman is trying to take a radically different approach to wine merchandising. Wine is grouped according to taste rather than country, with three styles of white - Bright, Smooth and Rounded, and three reds, Fruity, Mellow and Chunky, with short descriptions to explain each style. There are also sparkling, pudding, spirits, water and beer sections.
It’s all about demystifying wine and making consumers more confident to trade up, says Unwins marketing director Ian McLernon. “It’s not about dumbing down the category,” says McLernon. “It’s about redefining how people buy wine and making it a more enjoyable shopping experience.”
The design is open-plan, with floor stacks banned to create a feeling of space. The curved shelf displays and spotlights make it simple for customers to negotiate the categories.
Staff are called vintners and greet customers when they walk in the door, offering to take them on a tour of the store and explain the different taste styles.
Manager Jean-Francois Dene admits the complex favours of a wine do not always fall easily into a single taste grouping, but says they provide general pointers to different styles. “People may say they like an Australian Shiraz but what they actually like is the taste. It is easy here to help people find the style they like.”
There are only around 225 wines in store, with most falling into the £5 to £13 price bracket, although there is also a specialist ordering service. McLernon says the carefully selected choice and personal service from staff had succeeded in pushing up the average transaction to £15, with customers buying several bottles with each visit.
The store has recorded double digit percentage sales increases since re-opening as a Phillips Newman last month, he says. “We’re pretty confident we can take share from supermarkets. They can’t give the same advice or allow customers to taste the wines in the same way,” says McLernon.
Unwins, which has hit the headlines for saying it would consider selling the business to fund its modernisation, is “very confident” about the Phillips Newman concept, he insists.
He is pleased with the way the store has managed to attract an equal split of female and male shoppers. The shopfront is free of ads and the large windows allow passers-by to see all the way inside, the same design principle that helped the All Bar One chain become female-friendly. The open plan layout and the Chill-out Zone with comfy chairs have proved popular with mums with prams.
Customer Kate Catchpole, 25, was in the store to buy around £60 of bubbly and wine for a party. She says: “I like the way you can taste the wine and the staff are really helpful. Staff in the standard off-licences are unhelpful.”
Roland Saan, 65, who has just bought about £150 of wine, says: “When I first came here I found the taste categories confusing because I normally know what country and variety I’m looking for. However, I like the new look is a lot more spacious and I find the staff very helpful.”
Unwins plans to convert 60 of its existing stores to the new format, with two further openings in London this summer.
Many wine retailers would say placing a tasting table near the exit and asking customers to help themselves is asking for trouble. Yet the ploy has worked well for Phillips Newman, the new chain of wine merchants launched by Unwins last month, with 75% of those trying one of the six wines on the table going on to buy one or several bottles.
Walk into the flagship store in Kensington, London, and it’s clear Phillips Newman is trying to take a radically different approach to wine merchandising. Wine is grouped according to taste rather than country, with three styles of white - Bright, Smooth and Rounded, and three reds, Fruity, Mellow and Chunky, with short descriptions to explain each style. There are also sparkling, pudding, spirits, water and beer sections.
It’s all about demystifying wine and making consumers more confident to trade up, says Unwins marketing director Ian McLernon. “It’s not about dumbing down the category,” says McLernon. “It’s about redefining how people buy wine and making it a more enjoyable shopping experience.”
The design is open-plan, with floor stacks banned to create a feeling of space. The curved shelf displays and spotlights make it simple for customers to negotiate the categories.
Staff are called vintners and greet customers when they walk in the door, offering to take them on a tour of the store and explain the different taste styles.
Manager Jean-Francois Dene admits the complex favours of a wine do not always fall easily into a single taste grouping, but says they provide general pointers to different styles. “People may say they like an Australian Shiraz but what they actually like is the taste. It is easy here to help people find the style they like.”
There are only around 225 wines in store, with most falling into the £5 to £13 price bracket, although there is also a specialist ordering service. McLernon says the carefully selected choice and personal service from staff had succeeded in pushing up the average transaction to £15, with customers buying several bottles with each visit.
The store has recorded double digit percentage sales increases since re-opening as a Phillips Newman last month, he says. “We’re pretty confident we can take share from supermarkets. They can’t give the same advice or allow customers to taste the wines in the same way,” says McLernon.
Unwins, which has hit the headlines for saying it would consider selling the business to fund its modernisation, is “very confident” about the Phillips Newman concept, he insists.
He is pleased with the way the store has managed to attract an equal split of female and male shoppers. The shopfront is free of ads and the large windows allow passers-by to see all the way inside, the same design principle that helped the All Bar One chain become female-friendly. The open plan layout and the Chill-out Zone with comfy chairs have proved popular with mums with prams.
Customer Kate Catchpole, 25, was in the store to buy around £60 of bubbly and wine for a party. She says: “I like the way you can taste the wine and the staff are really helpful. Staff in the standard off-licences are unhelpful.”
Roland Saan, 65, who has just bought about £150 of wine, says: “When I first came here I found the taste categories confusing because I normally know what country and variety I’m looking for. However, I like the new look is a lot more spacious and I find the staff very helpful.”
Unwins plans to convert 60 of its existing stores to the new format, with two further openings in London this summer.
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