2021 RETAILER OF THE YEAR
As the pandemic hit, Gary Fisch and his stores pivoted towards ecommerce, becoming a business that served customers online from coast to coast.
“ Having a location in Napa Valley puts us at the center of the wine world. On any given day, we are building relationships with prominent and up-and-coming winemakers alike, who stop by our store for morning coffee or some Thursday bubbles.”
– GARY FISCH, OWNER OF GARY ' S WINE & MARKEPLACE
“ If it wasn’ t for Mike’ s quick thinking and dedication, we would not be in the same place we are today,” Gary said.“ I attribute him to saving this company and we ' ve come out even better positioned than we were before Covid-19.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE The U. S. now appears to be emerging from the worst part of the pandemic. All of the Gary’ s locations have resumed business as usual, while having absorbed valuable takeaways and processes during the past year that will remain in place. But what else is next for the business?
In the short term, the focus is on continuing to invest in delighting customers, educating team members and driving efficiencies. The team is currently navigating the reintroduction of its in-store tasting experiences.
Under the direction of Wine Director Brooke Sabel, the team has concentrated on wine training and education for Gary ' s team members.
Technology remains an ongoing focus. Gary’ s is committed to identifying additional ways in which it can improve operational efficiencies, including a complete upgrade of its accounting system to Sage Intacct, as well as the introduction of a more robust system for reordering inventory. The company is also closely analyzing data from the past several years to make key decisions related to category management, and forecast how trends are likely to evolve as the world continues to reopen.
Through its expanding private-label program, Gary’ s benefits from its Napa Valley location and Gary’ s long-term relationships with area winemakers, allowing him to source the highest quality grapes for his products. Due to the success of the program, the company plans to expand it to include additional wines and new products, broadening the scope of the Gary’ s brand.
“ Having a location in Napa Valley puts us at the center of the wine world,” Gary explains.“ On any given day, we are building relationships with prominent and up-and-coming winemakers alike, who stop by our store for morning coffee or some Thursday bubbles. We’ ve become a national retailer with an opportunity to become a global brand.”
The Fisches haven’ t ruled out the possibility of opening additional locations in the future. Both Gary and Michael say that their combined skill set creates a healthy and positive balance. The expanded insights into data and operations management that Michael now brings to the business will help successfully propel them into the future— not that Gary has any plans to retire.
“ I get a lot of energy out of talking to guests when they come into the store, and I don’ t think I’ ll ever give that up,” Gary says.“ Retirement for me would be spending even more time in Napa talking with our customers. But that is still a long way off! Right now, I’ m helping Mike learn more about the retail end of the business, and I’ m learning more about the technology side. But we’ re doing it, and we’ re only getting better because of it.” BD
www. beveragedynamics. com 2021 Top 100 Issue • Beverage Dynamics 17