Listen to this articleStepping into Westbury-based Total Wine Spirits & More is an oenophile’s delight.
The 26,000-square-foot wine shop carries 11,000 wines and 5,000 spirits from around the world, with a large selection form New York.
There are dedicated spaces for classes, and tasting bars where consumers can learn more about wine, beer and spirits. Product reviews are displayed throughout the shops. And on any given day there are winemakers, brew-masters and distillers who offer tastings and educate consumers.
“We have to create experiences – if American retail doesn’t do that, we’re out of business.” said David Trone, the owner and operator of both Total Wine and the adjacent 16,000-square New York Marketplace and Brewery District, which carries more than 6,000 beers, with 2,000 from New York, along with over 500 New York-made products.
The two shops sit in what was once Sports Authority, which closed the Westbury shop as part of its bankruptcy.
Total Wine owns 173 stores in 22 states, and generates $2.7 billion in sales. While David Trone owns the New York shops, he and his brother Robert Trone own the Bethesda, Maryland-based parent company and have built it into what he says is “the largest private wine and spirits company in America.”
The Westbury site, which is the company’s only New York store, Trone said, was ideal.
“The number one shopping mecca in New York is Roosevelt Field,” he said. “We’re right next door to it.”
And Trone said that Total Wine – with its tastings, courses and comprehensive offerings – give shoppers reasons to visit.
For retailers, and the municipalities that count on them for tax revenue, the experience economy is more important than ever. This is especially true at a time when retailers struggle to compete with innovative giants such as Amazon. The online firm is leading the retail charge as it opens new brick and mortar bookshops, and its recent purchase of Whole Foods.
For retailers with foresight, it’s do or die, as they look to inspire the consumer to spend time in their shops.
And for good reason. Of the estimated 1,200 shopping malls in the country, as many as 25 percent are expected to close in the next five years, according to a recent report by Credit Suisse. It’s a call that’s driving some retailers to design their shops into destinations.
“To create experiential retail, we have to create experiences,” Trone said. “That’s what our focus is. We’re offering Nordstrom type services with Costco food prices and a look that says Whole Foods.”
It’s a concept that Lou Biscotti, a partner of Mazars USA in Woodbury, dubs “retailtainment,” and it’s never been more prevalent.
“Certain companies are now saying they have to create an experience for the consumer – it can’t just be going into the store,” Biscotti said, pointing to not only food, but apparel and other retails sectors as well.
“People have to get a very favorable experience or they won’t go. Companies are looking for innovative ways to attract customers into the store,” he said.
Another retailtainment example is Stew Leonard’s, the specialty family-owned grocery chain, that opened its second Long Island shop in August. A visit to either site in East Meadow of Farmingdale venue is not unlike stopping at a country fair, complete with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the shop. But of course, food is the main attraction.
At this grocer, the more local and fresher the ingredients, the better. And a deep understanding of the market goes a long way.
For example, Woodbury-based Butera’s chicken meatballs, are a big hit on Long Island. So are the grocer’s cider donuts, which sell 20 times more on Long Island than they do in Westchester or Connecticut.
Long Island will soon be home to a new retailtainment concept, Tractor Supply. The popular Brentwood, Tenn.-based chain is building its first Long Island store on 3.97 acres on Route 112 and Commercial Boulevard in Medford. Construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2018 and the 19,000-square-foot store is slated to open by the end of the summer.
The store offers a slice of Americana, catering to those committed to outdoorsy and do-it-yourself lifestyle.
“Tractor Supply thoughtfully chooses each new location,” a company spokeswoman told LIBN. “The Medford location is perfect for Tractor Supply because of the area’s commitment to living life out here.”
The company, which reported annual revenues of about $6.8 billion, offers clothing, equine and pet supplies, tractor and trailer parts and accessories, lawn and garden supplies, sprinkler and irrigation parts, power tools, fencing, welding and pump supplies, hunting equipment, gun safes and accessories, ATVs, riding mowers and more.
There are items for beekeepers and honey harvesting. Current locations sell live baby chicks, ducks and turkey, and there are plenty of educational materials on poultry, livestock and equine care as well as farming tips.
And keeping with that education focus, L.L. Bean at Smithaven Mall is hosting in-store clinics on outdoor activities. This December, for example, the store is slating classes for Tuesdays and Thursdays. The workshops cover best local spots for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and winter hiking. And there are also programs on winter star-gazing, sports destinations and electronics.
In addition, there are clinics on the best kinds of clothing and gear as well as tips for snowshoeing. There is also a session on snapping smartphone photos.
And Muttontown-based Heritage Farm and Garden is continuing to supply the tools for family time. The spot serves as a destination for families selecting Christmas
That includes decorating ideas, including pinecone bouquets for centerpieces and ornament items for decorating the tree. Snow-themed pillows and blankets make for cozy family hiatuses.
It’s these kinds of experiences, Trone said, that are the mark of Long Island’s retailing future.
Pointing to the findings in the Credit Suisse study, and his shops that replace Sports Authority, he said, “Of the thousand malls in America, only 300 will survive.”