New Beer Store pilot design in Liberty Village

phirleh · Post by **phirleh** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:05 am

Conusmers asked for a change, and the Beer Store listened!
"The Beer Boutique", a new Beer Store layout is being developed in Liberty Village and was announced on

Facebook and Twitter

Word is, they will have an entire section devoted to tiny poorly made flashlights and Homer Simpson talking bottle openers. And are unveiling what they call "The Wall of Hats". They're offering hats from over 300 breweries from around the globe! From the looks of the picture, each individual case of beer will get about 5 cubic feet of shelf space. This is an exciting and innovative new experience for the beer consumer!

phirleh · Post by **phirleh** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:42 am

If it's going in the space I'm thinking (the undeveloped corner of the Toy Factory lofts) it's a great space. I slipped in there last year before it was completely boarded up. It would have made a great spot for a brewery.

xocoatl · Post by **xocoatl** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:01 am

This could be interesting. Anyone know what the listing requirements are for the beer store? do you just need to pay the listing fee? or do you have to pass through the LCBO red tape still?

Thinking that maybe 6 stores like this spaced out in major markets to cover the province, could offer a way for more craft brewers from ontario, canada, and the world to enter the ontario market without having to deal with all the LCBO nonsense.

Would love to see them allow purchase of a seasonal listing, that could be rotated between seasonal or one off products without the brewery having to re-purchase a listing for each one.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:22 am

I've sent them a tweet about how much craft beer will be there!

TBS charges a one-time listing fee (around $2600) plus a per-store cost (I think around $100). It can get quite costly to go province-wide. I don't believe they have any kinds of restrictions like the LCBO - as long as it passes the AGCO it can be sold at TBS.

cannondale · Post by **cannondale** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:51 am

Found this snippet, posted to another site, ostensibly by a TBS exec..

"...we will be opening/piloting a Beer Boutique later this year in Liberty Village. We're hopeful that this unique new design that will feature an array of different brews (craft, import, domestic) will be a hit with customers."

This was posted in response to another posters suggestion that TBS ought to open subsidiary, small boutique stores to appease the beer geek crowd.

This is, at the very least, an intriguing development..

NRman · Post by **NRman** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:51 am

I read through the comments on the Facebook pic above and saw this:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6 ... 9133052544

Is "The Beer Store" being sarcastic? ignorant? spiteful? all of the above?

Anyone care to craft a well thought out and eloquent reply from a respected brewer/beer community member?
OR
I was just going to flame the prick!

PS: Favourite comment on the page:

Kel Varnsen · Post by **Kel Varnsen** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:01 pm

Cass wrote:I've sent them a tweet about how much craft beer will be there!

TBS charges a one-time listing fee (around $2600) plus a per-store cost (I think around $100). It can get quite costly to go province-wide. I don't believe they have any kinds of restrictions like the LCBO - as long as it passes the AGCO it can be sold at TBS.

Is the 2600 dollars a one time life time fee or is a per year thing? I mean unless a beer is something that is going to be a one off thing, or you have to pay that every year it doesn't really seem that high. Plus like other overhead expenses if every product is paying this isn't it something that the brewers can just pass on to the consumer as part of their price point? I mean take somethink like tankhouse, how many years did it take to pay off that listing fee?

phirleh · Post by **phirleh** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:10 pm

phirleh wrote:If it's going in the space I'm thinking (the undeveloped corner of the Toy Factory lofts) it's a great space. I slipped in there last year before it was completely boarded up. It would have made a great spot for a brewery.

Actually the location is in a new building being constructed across the road from the Brazen Head on Liberty Street, they are aiming for a June opening.

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:39 pm

Kel Varnsen wrote:Plus like other overhead expenses if every product is paying this isn't it something that the brewers can just pass on to the consumer as part of their price point? I mean take somethink like tankhouse, how many years did it take to pay off that listing fee?

Yes and no. I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong) that breweries are required to charge the same price per package regardless of where they sell it. So a six pack has to cost the same at the LCBO, Beer Store, or brewery store, even if it is far more profitable to sell straight from the brewery.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:14 pm

^ That runs right against laws of supply/demand Jer so it must be right.

It's funny - remember how shabby and shitty a lot of LCBO stores looked just 5-10 years ago, many like converted, run-down 1970's grocery stores et cetera? They've since put a veneer of bland corporate design over many of those fugly stores, but you still find a few that have that old grungy 'bargain basement' look to them - Coxwell/O'Connor and (amazingly) Broadview/Danforth still hurt your eyes to walk into.

So maybe TBS is piloting a similar 'we're the same old thing, but we look better now!' idea into their operating philosophy. Anything that serves brewers and customers well, I am hoping? It would kind of suck if they make a really pretty Beer Store that looks like Village Beer Merchant but remains the polar opposite (for drinkers of 'real' beer.)

xocoatl · Post by **xocoatl** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:20 pm

Cass wrote:I've sent them a tweet about how much craft beer will be there!

TBS charges a one-time listing fee (around $2600) plus a per-store cost (I think around $100). It can get quite costly to go province-wide. I don't believe they have any kinds of restrictions like the LCBO - as long as it passes the AGCO it can be sold at TBS.

If that was a one time cost, and they allowed importers to buy a multi-use listing, that could work.

I am thinking an importer could buy a listing, and fill it with a product for a couple months, then switch it up with another product. The variety would increase sales, and they could get in on all kinds of more rare or one off beers that the LCBO process will not work for outside of private/consignment orders.

Would be great for the beer store too, as the variety would increase traffic in the stores and impulse buys.

The_Jester · Post by **The_Jester** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:08 pm

Belgian wrote:.... So maybe TBS is piloting a similar 'we're the same old thing, but we look better now!' idea into their operating philosophy....

It would be the same philosophy that Muskoka applied to their hefe, no?

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:02 pm

Very cool.

And it might even work for the smaller brewers. Probably better for the regular listings & perhaps seasonals. That's quite the expense for a one-off... though if they put it in a few other select stores, it might be feasible (for a decent batch size), but they probably wouldn't make much money at it.

JesseM · Post by **JesseM** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:22 pm

A mildly interesting idea, but my biggest problem with the BS is that the BS sucks at everything to do with beer at every level in every way, and I wish they could just stop existing. The whole concept is probably their way of attempting to 'appease' that otherwise pain-in-the-ass (to them) segment of the market, beer geeks. We're really only a pain in the ass because we're aware of what a disgusting near monopoly they are. The irony of seeing the trucks of fucking idiots in the BS parking lots with "Out of a job? Keep buying foreign!" bumper stickers, never ceases to amuse me in that infuriating kind of way. The whole motivation behind it is just so patrionizing to me. Sure, they're trying to reach out to 'us', but I would really rather they just stopped existing all together. Nothing short of that would make me happy, however unrealistic. If another venue to get our deposit back on bottles opens up, I will never, ever, deal with the BS ever again. I already let the bottles stack up to a ridiculous level out of wanting to avoid the agonizing experience of going to the BS.

Fuck the BS, fuck them so hard, sideways, in the ass, with a crusty old dildo. I'd tell you guys how I really feel, but I'll spare you all the shocking language and volatile attiude.

cfrancis · Post by **cfrancis** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:15 pm

I have to think that the Beer Store is sick of losing market share to the LCBO and their craft beer sales. I understand they are both "government owned" but you would have to think if you could get them into your facility instead of the LCBO you may get some spinoff sales on your own products.

You are already seeing it to a certain point with the Beer Store selling singles of imports and seeing a small cooler of singles at the checkout in self serve stores.

Maybe they will stock this place with a good selection of craft beers. Of course they still need craft beer to list with them as well, that may be the limitation to what they can put at this location.