Dan Murphy’s South Melbourne - a glimpse into the future of retail

Dan Murphy’s South Melbourne store has undergone a complete renewal and re-stock, offering a range of 450 cold craft brews, about 30 per cent of which is made in Victoria, with many local breweries delivering their products directly to the store.

Distillers Patient Wolf and Starward also hand deliver their gins and whiskies directly. It has a decidedly community feel.

“When choosing what to range in our stores, we use customers' insights to handpick products that we know locals will love. South Melbourne Dan Murphy’s has the widest selection of craft beer simply because we know locals are huge fans of craft beer,” said Dan Murphy’s Managing Director, Alex Freudmann.

 “We are committed to continuing to support local brands. It’s an exciting time for Australian brewers, winemakers and distillers - there is a lot of innovation in the space, and we are seeing customers choosing to support local products more than ever,” he said.

The redevelopment and design is the first of many. The new format will be rolled out in stores in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane this year. The design is informed by consumers, including their current appetite for local product and a shopping experience that includes education, discovery, technology and sustainability.

“The most important thing for us is that the customer is in charge of how and what they want to experience or educate themselves about,” Mr Freudmann explained.

“The biggest challenge for Dan Murphy, the founder of our stores, was to get Australians to try something different than rum and beer that was mainly consumed in the 1950s when he opened his first store,” Mr Freudmann said.

“Dan came up with the ‘lowest liquor price guarantee’ to make other drinks including different styles of table wine - affordable and to persuade customers to challenge their palates. Dan Murphy’s philosophy was about value, but most importantly about discovery - and that’s what our new stores are all about,” he added.

Central to the South Melbourne store is a ‘magic moments’ section, including wine and spirit tastings, a merchant’s corner with recommendations from the store’s resident Wine Merchant and on-demand ‘micro-classes’ hosted by in-store product experts.

There are also highlighted areas with engaging information about a specific product or segment, a fine wine department and digital shelf labels with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, so consumers can learn more about the product while they are right there in the store.

The Dan Murphy’s South Melbourne store is located at 100 Market St, South Melbourne 3205. On-demand delivery (2 hours or less) and express pick-up are also available.