Montgomery ABS Liquor Store Assistant Manager Frank Kong and Director Kathie Durbin. they going for? Are they going for premium products in smaller portions? Do we have to make more of those options available? There’ s only so much shelf space that we have to work with.”
“ We’ re constantly relying on our data from Neilsen to see where we are, and where we’ re going,” she adds.“ We take stock on that. We need to be on top of that.”
It’ s rarely easy getting on top of what is, by her own words, a cyclone around the industry that never stops swirling.
“ Sometimes you might feel like your back is against the wall,” Durbin says,“ trying to get products on the shelf while also having a social responsibility piece as well. We’ re not going to give in to pressure, and we’ re not going to promote irresponsible drinking habits.”
“ We have to stay vigilant,” she adds.“ We have to keep adapting to trends and staying flexible. We have to allow ourselves to be innovative and responsive. We have to keep partnering and collaborating, we have to keep moving forward together.” •
18 StateWays • Summer 2025 www. stateways. com