12-Store Chain Liquor World Las Vegas Cashes In As New Residents Surge Into Sin City
June 23, 2023Liquor World Las Vegas has sprouted from a single outlet in Sin City in 2006 to a dozen stores, including four locations in and around the Strip corridor. Despite lingering effects from the pandemic and inflation impacting customers’ pocketbooks, CEO Rony Shamoun says same-store sales at the chain surged about 18% last year.
Las Vegas was hit particularly hard early in the pandemic, when business and pleasure travel to the city ground to a standstill. But according to Shamoun, by late last year tourists had returned in strong fashion, with McCarron Airport welcoming the highest number of travelers since 2019. “We’re betting on that now,” he says of improved tourism. “We’re really excited about what the future holds for tourism in Las Vegas.” In addition to a store near the MGM Grand, Liquor World boasts locations close to the Virgin Hotel & Casino, the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, and the T-Mobile Arena, about a mile and a half from Allegiant Stadium.
Stores away from the Strip, meanwhile, are situated in booming nearby locales such as Henderson, the second-largest city in Nevada. General manager Michael Barbary points to the growing number of transplants from the West Coast into the area in recent years as attractive clientele going forward. The new residents are college educated, affluent, and living in double-income households, an appealing target for Liquor World, Shamoun says.
Ranging in size from 3,000-14,000 square feet, Liquor World stores offer wide selections of spirits, wine, and beer, and feature amenities including temperature-controlled fine wine spaces, tasting areas, and beer caves. The Inspirada store in Henderson opened in 2010 and is the chain’s showcase, with 10,000 square feet of retail space and a 2,000-square-foot wine bar, allowing for on-premise consumption.
Spirits lead beverage sales at Liquor World, accounting for 60% of sales, with wine and beer each comprising 15%, and miscellaneous items—such as non-alcoholic beverages and tobacco—bringing in the remaining 10%. Liquor World Las Vegas stocks about 4,000 spirits SKUs, and about the same number of wine SKUs.
According to Shamoun, Tequila and RTD cocktails are showing the fastest growth among spirits subcategories at the chain. “RTDs are the fastest growing not only from a dollar standpoint, but also from a vessel standpoint,” he remarks, pointing to packaging that varies from bottles to cans to multi-packs to pouches. “We’re paying close attention to the category, which is proving to be very popular with customers who like to grab a canned cocktail and walk Las Vegas Boulevard.”
The chain has been emphasizing its cigar selection of late. “It’s growing, and we plan to put a lot of dollars toward it,” Barbary says of the category. A typical store features between 40 and 80 rotating cigars, including offerings from Arturo Fuente and Padrón. “We see cigars as an add-on sale for spirits customers,” he notes. Market Watch has more.
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