Just Wines adds beer to growing ecommerce portfolio

This week, online retail platform Just Wines has announced the successful acquisition of Beer Cartel and Brewquets into its portfolio. The two purchases were made for an undisclosed sum.

The news follows on from the purchase of spirit subscription service Liquor Loot in April and non-alcoholic drinks company Sans Drinks in August last year, both of which Just Wines salvaged from then-ongoing voluntary administration processes. 

According to Just Wines’ Founder Nitesh Bhatia, “this most recent acquisition means the group covers all main liquor categories‬‭ in Australia, further strengthening our competitive position.

“We don’t want to revolutionise these two‬‭ highly successful businesses. We’ll simply be looking at how we can integrate our key‬‭ capabilities into these great organisations to grow the customer base for each.”

The first of the two new acquisitions, Beer Cartel is considered an industry leader in online beer ecommerce within Australia. Originally a brick and mortar store, Beer Cartel shifted to being entirely online at the end of 2022.

“We recognise the success Beer Cartel has had within the online craft beer space over the‬‭ past 15 years,” said Bhatia.

“We’re excited to be the new custodian of the brand and see the success of the business‬ going forward. We’ll be welcoming its diverse craft beer product range including its very‬‭ popular Beer Advent Calendar.”

Just Wines’ other portfolio addition, Brewquets, offers a gifting service both for individuals and for businesses. Just Wines is planning to enhance the diversity of Brewquets by incorporating the entirety of its portfolio. 

Nitesh Bhatia said, “for Brewquets we see significant synergies across the entire portfolio of the group. We now‬‭ have beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks that we can offer as gifts to both consumers‬‭ and businesses alike. 

“Utilising our range from each business unit we are‬‭ excited by the depth of product range we will be able to offer.”

Beer Cartel and Brewquets were both owned by original founders Geoff Huens & Richard Kelsey prior to this week’s Just Wines acquisition.

“We want to‬ acknowledge the founders, Geoff and Richard, as well as the fantastic suppliers and‬ customers that have been with the two businesses over the past 15 years,” said Bhatia. 

“We look forward‬‭ to deepening these relationships over the coming years.”