BWS (liquor Retailer)
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BWS is an Australian
retail chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, Management, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories ...
of
liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...
stores owned by
Endeavour Group Endeavour Group Ltd (EG) is an Australian alcoholic drinks retailer, hotel operator, and Slot machine, poker machine operator that was Corporate spin-off, spun off from Woolworths Group (Australia), Woolworths Group in 2019. History In 2019, W ...
.


History

BWS began operations in June 2001 as a local neighbourhood bottleshop. BWS was a brand of the Woolworths Liquor Group which also included Dan Murphy's, Cellarmasters and Pinnacle Liquor. The freestanding liquor division of Woolworths was distinguished from the Woolworths Supermarket Liquor and Safeway Liquor stores, in that it stood alone from Supermarkets. The first BWS was opened in
Cabramatta Cabramatta, also abbreviated as Cabra, is a suburb in South Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local gove ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, the site of a Woolworths owned Mac's Liquor Store. The Safeway brand including Safeway Liquor was later also rebranded Woolworths and Woolworths Liquor respectively. In 2012, Woolworths Liquor and BWS shared all promotions, prices and specials between the two brands. All 475 Woolworths Supermarket Liquor stores were rebranded to BWS by 2013, resulting in a network of 1,180 BWS stores after the rebranding. These stores now operate as free standing BWS stores, financially and managerially separate from the adjacent Woolworths supermarkets. A handful are known to be adjacent to
Coles Supermarkets Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty. Ltd., doing business as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in the suburb of Collingwood, Victoria, Colli ...
, such as in Mount Warren Park in
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Earlwood,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Braybrook, Victoria, and Marion,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
As of June 2014, BWS has over 1,200 stores Australia wide, a majority including the ALH Group sites. They recently have been buying and converting independent liquor stores such as Darlinghurst Cellars along
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...
near
Hyde Park, Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney, is an urban park, of , located in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest public parkland in Aust ...
. BWS owns several beer brands including John Boston, Tun, Arc Valley and Sail & Anchor through Pinnacle Drinks. As of 2017, BWS has over 1,300 stores Australia wide. As of April 2019, BWS has 1,355 stores Australia wide. In 2019, Woolworths restructured its alcoholic drinks business to form
Endeavour Group Endeavour Group Ltd (EG) is an Australian alcoholic drinks retailer, hotel operator, and Slot machine, poker machine operator that was Corporate spin-off, spun off from Woolworths Group (Australia), Woolworths Group in 2019. History In 2019, W ...
, including BWS. Endeavour Group demerged from Woolworths Group in June 2021.


Advertising and branding

In 2023, BWS launched the "Refreshingly BWS" platform through creative agencies M&C Saatchi and media agency Carat. This initiative aimed to challenge traditional bottle shop norms and appeal to Gen Z and young millennials by embracing a cheeky and welcoming tone. The campaign encourages Australians to enjoy drinks their way, promoting a judgment-free and fun approach to alcohol consumption.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bws Alcohol distribution retailers in Australia Companies based in Sydney Retail companies established in 2001 Woolworths Group (Australia) 2001 establishments in Australia Wine retailers