FOOD NEWS
Why Isn't Costco The Biggest Wine Retailer In The US Anymore?
BY Luna Christina Lupus
Total Wine & More recently took Costco’s long-held title of the largest U.S. wine retailer by beating it in sales, and the story of the latter’s loss is all about the former’s win.
While Total Wine only has 275 stores to Costco's 605, it's become more popular for its affordable yet quality wines. It's now aiming for the lowest prices on the wine market.
To keep prices low, Total Wine pushes its private label products, maintains strong relationships with its suppliers, and buys directly from wineries when possible.
In states where it's legal, the company provides in-store tastings to customers and offers educational tastings, classes, and events for those who want to learn more about wine.
With over 8,000 wines available in its stores, Total Wine does its best to make shopping a non-confusing experience by displaying wines of the same variety together.
The stores also have separate displays of wines based on whether they're Old World or New World. The company has an app that offers delivery options and electronic gift cards.