Lower than discount liquor becomes available in Chch

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 19

Lower than discount liquor becomes available in Chch

Cut price bottle stores — as distinguished from wholesale liquor merchants — are starting to make their presence felt in the Christchurch area. Three of them, the Imperial Hotel, Warners and the Prebbleton Taverns, are now catering their low cost liquor to different parts of the city — and to many out-of-town people who specially drive in to buy bulk alcohol of all types and cart it away in trailer-sized amounts.

It was the Imperial which started the cut price trend in Christchurch nearly four years ago, followed shortly by the Prebbleton Tavern. Warners (which claims to have many of the lowest prices of the lot) started at the end of last year, based at an ideal location — the Square, at the centre of Christchurch. The manager of Warners Tavern (Mr John McCarthy) backs his claim

that the tavern has many of the cheapest prices by stating that when it was decided to start radio advertising, “we had to prove that we were the

cheapest in Canterbury or retract the advertising.” Other examples of the cut price liquor now available include such well known brand names as Jim Beam bourbon (a new offer) and Gordons Gin. For example, Warners now sells bottles of Black Douglas eight-year-old

blended whisky for $6.95, a saving of $2.95; fill-your-own flagons of Corbans sherry at $2.70, a saving of $1.80; and Vladivar vodka at $5.40, a saving of $1.54. A dozen cans of lion Brown beer at Warners are available for $6, saving $3.24. This is a true saving per dozen, as opposed to having to buy beer in bigger bulk amounts. The price of bottled beer also is claimed to be the cheapest in Christchurch — at $6.39 a dozen. The problem with Warners is that a lot of people are not aware yet that such good prices are available,” Mr McCarthy says. “Also, people do not have to buy large quantities, they can get the same saving for just a bottle.” Many people are automatically suspicious that if they buy cut price liquor, they may receive

low quality or watered down products. “This is not true,” Mr McCarthy says. “All liquor sellers are under the strict control of the Health Department and we have to be ‘spot on’ in the quality of our sales. There is no chance of misrepresentation.” The availability of a comprehensive range of imported wines is another thing that Mr McCarthy is proud of — he considers it the best available in Canterbury. “The reason our products are so good and cheap is that we buy and import bulk at the best prices available ourselves, keep overheads at a minimum and aim for a higher turnover,” he says. “Many of our customers come from as far afield as Blenheim, Picton and the West Coast. Some customers from . Blenheim come here for the races and go home with a case of gin.