Market Watch Honors The Nation’s Top Retailers At Annual Leaders Awards Dinner

SND’s sister publication Market Watch magazine honored the nation’s top beverage alcohol retailers last night at its Leaders Annual Awards Dinner, a black tie affair held at the St. Regis Roof in New York City.

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Connecticut-based Stew Leonard’s Wine & Spirits, was named Market Watch’s 2017 Retailer of the Year. Stew Leonard’s nine-unit chain does more than $100 million in wine and spirits sales annually at its stores, which are spread across Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, with an additional $400 million coming from grocery sales. Leonard opened the first independently owned wine and spirits location of Stew Leonard’s in 1999.

Rob Sands, president and CEO of Constellation Brands, won the Industry Executive of the Year award. Sands has led his company for a decade, presiding over a period of marked expansion across the wine, spirits and beer categories.

Ten new Market Watch Leaders from six retail businesses were recognized at last night’s dinner. Here’s a look at the Leaders Class of 2017:

•Dan Schuette of Texas-based H-E-B. A 21-year H-E-B veteran, Schuette oversees an eight-person management team as director of the company’s beer and wine department. He’s played a major role in making the grocery giant a billion-dollar player in the beverage alcohol industry.

•Warren Scheidt of Cork Liquors in Columbus, Shelbyville and Greensburg, Indiana. Founded in 1982, Cork has long prided itself on staying one step ahead of its rivals, despite the difficult and fiercely competitive nature of the Indiana marketplace. As co-owner of the 12-unit store, Scheidt has spearheaded many of the company’s successful expansion initiatives, and is always eyeing opportunities for further growth in surrounding communities.

•Tim Turner of national drugstore chain Walgreens in Chicago. Last year, Walgreen’s had $1 billion in alcohol sales spread across 8,200 stores with only 235 SKUs. Looking ahead, Turner aims to boost sales of wine and spirits even higher by premiumizing the chain’s selections.

•Glen and Jim Knight of Los Angeles–based Wine House. Glen and Jim are second-generation Leaders—their father, Bill, first won the award in 1993. Since entering the family business, Glen and Jim have taken the fine wine destination to new heights, with annual revenues of about $20 million.

•Steve Sternberger, Adam Sternberger and Elizabeth McCabe of White Horse Wine & Spirits in Absecon, New Jersey. The three co-owners of White Horse transformed a small liquor store into a 33,500-square foot, first-rate retail venue, complete with beverage alcohol offerings, freshly prepared dishes and gourmet foods, and an extensive giftware selection. Today, the retailer averages annual sales revenue in excess of $10 million.

•Richard Splan and Chris Zaborowski of Louisville, Kentucky’s Westport Whiskey & Wine. In the heart of Bourbon country, Splan and Zaborowski have created a vibrant whisk(e)y destination for curious visitors and aficionados alike. By offering a bevy of local, craft products across categories, the retailer has maintained its competitive edge and sustained year-over-year sales growth.

Three Leaders Alumni were also recognized for outstanding achievement. Saurabh Abrol of New Jersey-based Wine Chateau, a 2015 Leader, won the Leaders Alumni Award for Best Marketing, while 2014 Leader Bruce Dierking of Boulder, Colorado’s Hazel’s Beverage World, took home the prize for Best Website. Kent Starr, a 2010 Leader from Liquor World in Fayetteville, Arkansas, earned the Alumni award for Community Service.

The market’s most successful brands were also honored at the Leaders dinner. Diageo’s Bulleit won the award for Spirits Brand of the Year, with a record 1.06 million cases in 2016. Rapidly growing Australian wine brand 19 Crimes from Treasury Wine Estates, which is set to reach 1.2 million cases in 2017 after depleting just 32,000 cases in 2013, was named Wine Brand of the Year.

The best-performing new products were also recognized. Crown Royal Vanilla from Diageo took home the trophy for Best New Spirits Product, racking up depletions of 286,000 nine-liter cases in its first year of distribution. Meanwhile, E. & J. Gallo’s Prophecy won for wine, with the brand projected to reach 285,000 cases in 2017, up from 14,000 cases in 2014, its first year on the market.

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