Dan Murphy’s Hamilton store revamp includes ‘craft beer canyon’

An Aussie liquor giant has unveiled a new look, complete with a ‘craft beer canyon’, drink education and a boost in technology to make shopping easier.

The trip to crack open a cold one just got a little bit more fancy after an Aussie liquor giant unveiled a million dollar makeover on Brisbane’s northside.

Dan Murphy’s Hamilton store is the first in the state to boast the retailer’s new flagship design where drinks education, discovery, technology and sustainability take centre stage.

The new-look store, located on Cnr Kingsford Smith Drive & Racecourse Rd, also includes a ‘craft beer canyon’ with almost 300 different chilled craft beers showcasing the best boutique drops on offer.

Dan Murphy’s Managing Director Alex Freudmann said the new look will give customers so much more than just products on shelves.

“When choosing what to range in our stores of the future, we use customers‘ insights to hand-pick products that we know locals will love to create hyper-localised ranges,” he said.

“Brisbane is a big craft beer town, and we’ve added over 20 new local craft beers to the range including ales from Brisbane’s Catchment Brewing and Ipswich’s 4 Hearts.

“We are committed to continuing to support local brands.

“It’s an exciting time for Australian brewers, winemakers and distillers – there is a lot of innovation in the space, and we are seeing customers choosing to support local products more than ever.”

Dan Murphy’s Managing Director Alex Freudmann at the new-look Hamilton store. Picture: Mike Curtin Photography.

At the heart of the revamped store is a central area where customers can experience ‘magic moments’, including wine and spirit tastings and access to your very own resident Wine Merchant.

“We know that our customers want to discover and educate themselves about the world of drinks, but many are pressed for time,” Mr Freudmann explained.

“The micro-classes are perfect for customers who have 10-15 minutes spare while browsing the store.

“They don’t have to go through the hassle of booking in advance, instead, these classes are on-demand so customers decide when it suits them.”

Customers can learn about things like organic and biodynamic wines during the micro-classes, and topics will change over regularly and cover all categories of drinks from wine, beer, spirits and cocktails.

“The most important thing for us is that the customer is in charge of how and what they want to experience or educate themselves about,” Mr Freudmann said.

The Dan Murphy’s Hamilton store is now the second Dan Murphy’s in Queensland to use electronic shelf labels (ESLs).

The boost in technology will save hours of work for the team, as prices change daily to beat competitor prices.

“An average store will beat hundreds of prices every week, and changing those price tickets can be quite time consuming for the team, but with ESL tags, it’s simple and efficient,” Mr Freudmann said.

“We are also seeing that stores that have ESL use 90 per cent less paper, so the technology will help us reduce paper usage.”

The electronic shelf labels also have NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, so drinks lovers can simply tap the shelf label with their smartphones to get more product information or read customer reviews about a specific product.

“We are increasingly innovating and using technology to meet the needs of our customers,” he said.

“ESL will help us communicate with shoppers in a new way, reduce paper usage and make our store teams more efficient.”