GO GUINNESS - Origlio Beverage

Off-PremiseSPOTLIGHTSuper Value BeverageJerry Lamb, though very modest, runs his retail business withmuch to boast about. Super Value Beverage, located inWarminster, Bucks County, is truly a case study of bestbusiness practices. As you walk into the store you quicklyrealize that Lamb is a meticulous, business-orientedentrepreneur. He has been in the beer business for over35 years and has experience in both the on and offpremise.These two perspectives have given him thenecessary insight to succeed in today’s competitiveenvironment.Lamb has created a comfortable and productiveshopping experience that is appealing to both men andwomen. The store is immaculate, well-lit and heated. Customers areguided through the store with comfortably wide, well-organized aisles;not a case in the store is out of place. Even the high volume case displaysare stacked with perfection. Their motto is, “Never build a display that a50 year old woman couldn’t shop from.” In addition, Super Value hasseveral large, permanent self-made display pieces. Their massive“South of the Border” tiki hut is a great example. Not only does it lookimpressive, but customers know exactly where to find the Mexicanimport brands.The store has an amazing 48 door cooler lining the perimeter. Lambsays, “After being in the business for so long you start to pick up a thingor two. I quickly realized that customers’ fast paced, last minute planningdemands a large selection of cold beer.” Each of the cooler doors hold10 to 12 different brands –- that is over 480 beers available cold! It is aselection he is justifiably proud of. With such an extensive productlineup, it is imperative to keep the back stockorganized as well. Behind the coolers,Jerry recently added an additional 20feet of cooler storage space, allowinghim to stock sufficient amounts of coldinventory before it hits the shelves. Tokeep track of the inventory, Jerry reliesheavily on his point of sale system tosolve his standard operational and recordkeepingheadaches. His systemimmediately records all sales and allowshim to readily identify inventory levels.Everything coming in and going out iscomputed and recorded daily. “Numbers don’t lie,” says Jerry. “I need toknow there will be no discrepancies in current inventory when I place mybeer order.” Precision is necessary to successfully manage such a largevariety.From the back stock to the floor displays, organization is the hallmark ofthe entire store. Each cooler door is clearly labeled with a specific beercategory and all the warm displays are labeled on the shelving units.Super Value carries everything from 30 pack domestics to AmericanCrafts and Specialty Imports to all the Malternatives you can think of.Customers are encouraged to shop leisurely without being bothered bysales people. They even offer draught samples, accompanied byeducational literature to peruse. This clean, comfortable shop, with justthe right amount of beer education has one little problem… Jerry oftenManager of Super Value, Jerry Lamb(far right) and his stafffinds that his parking lot is full becausecustomers shop leisurely for lengthy amountsof time. This is a great problem to have.There are several little things that put SuperValue a cut above the rest. First of all, theyoffer shopping carts. This makes it easier forcustomers to make impulse purchases,including bags of ice needed forentertaining. The store’s “Icehouse” is agiant, ice-only walk-in freezer. On a dailybasis it houses roughly 600 bags of ice.Though his store is well organized and theproducts are efficiently displayed, there arealways customers in need of assistance. Thisis why they have installed a “Help” buttonon the side wall. A flashing light above thecooler notifies the staff when assistanceis needed.Superior service and selection, combinedwith a clean and comfortable environment,keep customers coming back. With 36years in the business and plans for manymore in the future, Jerry declares, “beer hasbeen very, very good to me.”4HeadyTimes v.63 www.origlio.com