ACN-ADAMS EXPANDS LIQUORSCAN INFO SERVICE

BARBARA MURRAY

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- ACNielsen U.S. here and Adams Business Research, Norwalk, Conn., an operating unit of Adams Trade Press, recently announced an expansion of their joint-venture multichannel liquor sales information service, LiquorScan. The new addition is Spec's Liquor Warehouse, Houston, a major retailer in Texas. It joins the expanding portfolio of liquor retailers -- selling wine, beer and spirits -- whose account-specific information is available through LiquorScan.

Although supermarkets cannot buy the information, manufacturers can, and can use what they glean to advise their grocery store customers. "The importance of looking at the liquor store universe is it's one of many channels where adult beverages can be sold. Legal restrictions exist in many states, but there are areas where you can sell liquor in supermarkets," said Marion Minor, president of Adams Business Research and manager of the ACN-Adams joint venture.

Since a liquor store sells only adult beverages, its management may do things differently with merchandising, depth of product, or its decisions to try new items. A supermarket privy to this information can use it when determining its own strategy.

"The liquor store is basically a specialty store. Generally, the depth of product is going to be more vast," Minor told SN.

"Spec's Liquor Warehouse will help us to work in the adult beverage industry with a little more focus," she added.

LiquorScan Account Level Services includes census-based, account-specific reporting for key liquor retailers such as ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, which Minor said is the nation's largest liquor chain; Kappy's in Boston; and now Spec's. There are two other accounts that are kept anonymous, Minor said.

John Rydman, president of Spec's, said in a statement, "The availability of our account-level data through the ACNielsen/Adams LiquorScan service gives our suppliers the opportunity to work with us more effectively by viewing our business exactly as we view it. That's tremendously important for the most efficient, fact-based decision making." In the same statement, John Petrakis, senior vice president of ACNielsen U.S. marketing, called Spec's an important addition to the LiquorScan service. "We look forward to furthering the alcohol beverage industry's business performance through these expanding partnerships," he said.