Retail Unfiltered looks beyond the shopfront to uncover the commercial thinking behind Australia’s liquor retailers. In each issue, we explore the strategies, decisions and market positioning driving performance at store level.
This week we get to know the owner of Hobart’s Cool Wine, Tim Goddard whose more than 30-year career in wine has been marked by passion, adaptability and curiosity.
Originally from Hobart, Goddard began his career in hospitality as a teenager with an education in hotel management.
“While studying, I met an old German fellow who used to come teach us about wine. As soon as I had my first sip of a German Riesling that he brought to class, I was absolutely taken. I thought to myself ‘wine is going to be my journey’.”
By the late 80s Goddard had landed a job at renowned Hobart bottle shop Aberfeldy Cellars – a place he says paved the way for his career.
“I went on to manage the store, and the experience was a fantastic introduction to wine. The Tassie wine industry was very young at the time but there was so much to learn about the rest of the world,” he explained.
After gaining 10 years of first-hand wine experience, Goddard was offered a job in 1995 by Tasmanian businessman David Walsh AO, who had recently acquired Hobart’s Moorilla Estate.
“He bought the winery on Berriedale Peninsula and offered me the job as general manager. He then went on to build an all-new winery and later the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) next door.”
Following 11 years building the Moorilla brand, expanding exports and improving production quality, Goddard saw a gap in the local retail landscape. Focused on value and quality-driven experiences he embarked on a journey to create Cool Wine.
“When my wife Monica and I started Cool Wine, we simply wanted it to be about sharing very good wine – whether its $10 or $210 wine. I based this off some advice I got while at Aberfeldy Cellars. Someone said, ‘It’s important to cover as many bases as you can. Look after the entry level end and do the best you can at the top end too.’ We also wanted to specialise in Tasmanian wine and support a lot of smaller producers who might not have their own cellar door or a real way to market with the big chains.”
Moving with the market
Almost 20 years since Cool Wine opened its doors, Goddard reflected on the evolution of the store’s concept and how he has kept pace with a rapidly changing industry.
“We had to evolve with the landscape,” he said. “The key to success for us has been flexibility with trends and listening to what our customers actually want to drink. It’s been equally as important for us to set some of those trends ourselves.
“I’ve never been afraid of following a trend in whatever direction it’s going. Being open to what we can do in a particular market segment, and seeing if it works and how our customers respond, has worked tremendously well,” explained Goddard
He continued: “For example, we’ve met demand for natural wines in recent years. Additionally, when we opened the shop, we had about 30 different beers. Now we have literally hundreds of beers and ciders.”
In a modern market where competition is fierce, Goddard says his support of small producers has remained a constant.
“It’s a competitive world out there, and if you’ve got a choice to support someone smaller who’s doing the right thing, it’s worth seeking out. They’re the ones who’ve got passion. Look for local and you’ll always find something great.”
Building lasting connections
Following many years managing an active and dynamic range, Goddard says he learned the value of keeping customers engaged. His strategy has been writing a weekly newsletter shared with a database of nearly 4,500 customers.
After publishing close to 900 editions, he says it has been instrumental in creating rapport with customers, empowering discovery and increasing confidence in-store.
“The newsletter is sort of old school and a bit quirky. We don’t bang on too much. It shows a wine we think is great with a short, sharp, blurb with two key points. That’s what’s been successful, it’s just stuck. We recently found an obscure Tannat from Uruguay it’s a delicious, lovely wine for a good price and people have loved it.”
Another guiding principle of his career and his store has been creating genuine connections and shared experiences around wine.
“We have a lot of customers who come to our shop because it is fully independent, and they know we’re all about good wine from word-of-mouth. They like that we are family-owned, have really good staff who love what they do and love telling them about great wines and spirits.
“To complement that, we do a lot of wine tastings and events that bring lots of people in. We do free tastings and paid, sit-down tutor tastings, where we educate people in a fun way about all sorts of wine, whether it be Tasmanian or otherwise.”
Looking ahead to the cool months, Goddard plans to place greater emphasis on tastings to foster community connection during the quieter period.
“As the weather changes, people are looking for something to do. Our tastings are short, sharp, educational and a fun way to connect. They’re not big boozy nights.
“Heading towards the quieter months, we really try and focus on product and creating some events to keep the business vibrant and interesting to people.”
