UK. World Duty Free (WDF) held the official opening of its new wine concept, Wine Collection – Rare & Vintage, at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 earlier today (7 December).
The 40sq m shop-in-shop is located next to WDF’s cigar and malt whisky corners in the specialist area of its main tax and duty free outlet, and offers 180 wines & Champagnes covering a price range of £20 to £2,000. It opened to T5’s travelling public late last month.
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The 40sq m Wine Collection store in T5 is designed to cater for the growing number of wine connoisseurs at Heathrow |
The concept is designed to cater to growing demand for premium wines at WDF’s stores, and was developed with the cooperation of Master of Wine James Handford, whose tasting notes are prominently displayed in store. Handford assisted WDF with developing the product range and will make bi-monthly recommendations designed to help educate customers and encourage them to sample different wine varieties.
The Wine Collection concept will complement the range of entry-level wines and Champagnes available in WDF’s main liquor store in T5, with staff encouraged to guide those customers seeking premium vintages towards the new concept. The store features an “˜Enomatic’ temperature-controlled unit that offers up to eight different wines for individual tasting.
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Old World wines dominate the mix at Wine Collection, with French vintages accounting for 60% of the range |
At a special wine tasting held to celebrate the launch of the new concept, WDF Head of Category for Liquor Fraser Dunlop said that the initiative would capitalise on growing interest in high-ticket wines and Champagnes among the retailer’s diverse customer base.
“We knew from our experience in our main T5 liquor store that customers were buying wines priced at over £25-30 in increasing numbers,” he explained, noting that 45% of wine sales in the main store relate to products priced at over £40. “We therefore saw an opportunity to “˜premiumise’ our mix. We are offering a very good range for the wine buff while retaining some entry-level products at around £15-20.
“We have previously sold wines rather like a supermarket, and a lot of customers asked us why we didn’t offer more fine wines. The Wine Collection concept is about doing the category justice, and getting it into double-digits with regard to share of liquor sales [wines currently account for 8% of WDF’s liquor sales, and Champagnes 13%]. Sales so far suggest that it is going to be successful.”
Dunlop argued that Wine Collection “is a Heathrow concept and will work best here”, adding that elements of the concept would be introduced to the main WDF store in T3 following its refurbishment next year.
Dunlop paid tribute to the efforts of the WDF buying team in delivering the concept, and to the contribution of James Handford in fine-tuning the assortment and helping source many of the most prestigious wines. Among the rare vintages on offer at Wine Collection are varieties from legendary domains such as Romanée-Conti, Côte Rotie (E. Guigal), Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Angelus and Château d’Yquem.
French wine represents approximately 60% of the mix at Wine Collection, although Spanish wines from the Rioja region are expected to perform strongly. The retailer’s current promotion features Roda Reserva 2006 at £25.99, while the Enomatic unit allows customers to taste an outstanding Rioja in Castillo Ygay, priced at £39.99.
The range of Champagnes available at Wine Collection focuses on the high end, including several rare and hard-to-find vintages. Among these are Champagne Henriot 1970, priced at £285; Lanson Vintage, at £399; Dom Pérignon 1975, at £999; and Krug Clos d’Ambonnay, at £1,995.
The Moodie Report Print Edition, published in January, will feature a full article on WDF’s new wine concept.
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The new concept offers a wide range of ultra-premium Champagnes, priced at up to £2,000 |
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WDF Wine Consultant Jose Beato encourages a customer to try one of the wines in WDF’s Enomatic tasting unit | |
