Retail opening and assortment consulting

The opening list decides the first year

A new liquor store lives or dies on its first buy. Too broad and the cash is tied up in bottles that do not move; too narrow and customers learn to shop elsewhere. We have built opening offering lists for retailers and restaurants more than 25 times, drawing on fifteen years of running a 15,000-SKU operation and on live distributor cost data, so the first order is the right one.

What we do for retailers

• Opening offering lists. A complete first buy by category, size and price point, matched to your neighborhood, footprint and budget, with distributor sourcing and expected margin for each line.
• Assortment and category strategy. What to carry, what to cut, and how to structure the set so it reflects how your customers actually buy.
• Allocated product programs. Earning better allocations, deciding how to release them, and turning them into traffic and loyalty rather than one-off sales.
• Pricing and margin. Shelf pricing architecture, promotional cadence and margin management by category, using live distributor cost.
• Buying and distributor negotiation. Reading price books, deals and incentives the way the distributor does, and negotiating from that position.
• Inventory control and shrink. Receiving, counting and reconciliation practices that keep a large inventory accurate, the same discipline that makes a store insurable and financeable.
• Growth. Store layout, staffing and training, systems, a second location or an online channel.

Who this is for

New store owners preparing to open, existing independents and small chains that want a sharper assortment and better margins, and investors evaluating or acquiring a store.

How we engage

Openings are a defined project from consultation to final list and first-order guidance. Existing stores usually start with an assortment and margin review. Ongoing advisory is available.