Wine sales drop in liquor store lockdowns

Liquor stores are no longer where you can peruse your way through Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnay, but rather an essential service for your essential alcohol needs.

The click and collect method in level 3 has brought a “low and slow” pattern to alcohol sales.

Merchant Liquor sales assistant Harmandeep Kaur says she doesn’t know if the new method is helping or hurting the business.

“Customers have been understanding, but our sales are now mainly for spirits and hard liquor, dropping our total sales down by 50 per cent”.

People are purchasing their wines and beers from the supermarket rather than their local liquor store, which has taken a toll on revenue, she added.

Wine and beer sales have been heavy through the lockdown period, however Kiwis have taken a “low and slow” approach overall, said New Zealand Alcohol Beverage Association (NZABC) executive director Bridget MacDonald.

“With hospitality and liquor stores closed, supermarket sales have not offset that by any means, and this is because New Zealanders are drinking a lot less alcohol then they typically would,” she said.

She says alcohol sales are down across the board between 20-30 percent.

“Quarantine will be a long road to recovery”.