Giuseppe Minissale has told the July/August issue of drinks trade the key to his success: staying grounded and working on the floor as a “retailer at heart”.

Minissale, who is National President of the Australian Liquor Stores Association and General Manager of Porter’s Liquor, ‘stays on top’ of the constantly evolving industry by personally interacting with his customers and ensuring his employees are communicating with each other about the latest industry trends.

From his 30 years of experience, Minissale argues that consumers are reclaiming power and have a clear idea of what they want.

“Consumers are smarter now…They want diversification and that diversification comes in pack size. My prediction is that we’ll see packaged bottle size change in the next five years. I see the market contracting to half bottles; less is best.

“Suppliers have been the captains of the industry for a long time, but now it’s shifting to the consumer. The retailer today has got to stay on to [and] data is critical to maintaining the level of where you’re expected to be,” he said.

Aside from data analysis, Minissale gains insight by working on the floor, analysing and interacting with his customers.

“I’m a retailer at heart. When I get to work in the store, I can see what’s happening day-to-day with numbers and consumers… I’m always amazed [by] how quickly the consumer is changing.

“It really is different than what a set of data will tell you because data is just history; it’s what happened, not what’s happening”, said Minissale.

Lastly, he emphasises the importance of having large network of knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees in varied and multiple places.

“If one of our guys hears about something, like a new beer, they’ll be straight on the phone to one of the other stores to let them know.

“They’re part of a network. We can be home to a new product that one of the guys is passionate about within 24 hours. We are way ahead of where the independent retailer is.”

Porters Liquor’s Bexley store, Minissale’s latest acquisition. Source: Drinks Trade 

Take a look inside the latest issue of drinks trade

Out this week, drinks trade includes a cover story on Giuseppe, Australia’s Top 10 Whisky And Bourbon Bars and Bottle Shops, news on the return of Swift + Moore, the Best 2017 Vintage Wines and more.

Click here to view the digital edition