Coles axes Vintage Cellars, First Choice brands

The Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market store names will disappear across the country by the end of the year and will be absorbed into the better-known Liquorland umbrella brand as Coles fights to close the gap with rivals Dan Murphy’s and BWS.

For the first time, Coles customers will also be able to price match in any store, an offer that Dan Murphy’s has made itself synonymous with.

Coles Liquor chief executive Michael Courtney said a pilot that saw 14 Vintage Cellars and First Choice stores converted into “Liquorland Cellars” and “Liquorland Warehouse” was successful, resulting in a 16 per cent rise in brand awareness and a 30 per cent increase in customers likely to shop again.

“They’re enjoying the experience in-store,” Courtney said. “All of those customer data points led to us seeing an increase in sales throughout the trial, which is really positive and gives us the opportunity to move forward.”

“This will be the largest customer change that we’ve ever made in Coles Liquor.”

There are more than 90 Vintage Cellars stores across the country, which are typically based in affluent areas and offer a more upmarket range with roots as a fine wine chain.

First Choice Liquor Market operates in a big-box format featuring a wide range of alcohol categories, similar to Dan Murphy’s.

Under the changes, pricing, ranges, and loyalty programs will be consolidated into one rather than having three separate versions.