LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) and Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (sometimes shortened to Henry's) are franchises of independently owned

bottle shops A liquor store is a retail shop that predominantly sells prepackaged liquors – typically in bottles – usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence (i ...

around

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, operated by

Foodstuffs Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

. The stores sell a range of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, spirits, liqueurs,

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

, RTDs and

snack food A snack is a small portion of food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snack ...

, including

confectionary Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlappi ...

. LiquorLand has 147 stores, including 45 stores in Auckland. Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits has 16 stores, all located in the South Island. The stores are part of the Fly Buys and Airpoints loyalty schemes.

Brands

LiquorLand (1981-)

LiquorLand was established in 1981 as a franchise of independently owned liquor stores. By 2002, under the ownership of DB Breweries, it had 72 stores. By 2005, it had 80 stores. Foodstuffs purchased the franchise in 2009 for an undisclosed sum. Woolworths Group had also attempted to purchase the chain.

Birds Liquorsave (1991-2005)

Birds Liquorsave was established in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

in 1991. It had seven stores in Hamilton,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and Tauranga by 2005. The Mill took over Birds Liquorsave in 2005, rebranding the stores as The Mill Liquorsave. The stores were converted into LiquorLand stores, after Foodstuffs purchased The Mill in 2015.

The Mill (1993-2015)

The Mill was established in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

in 1993. It had 24 stores in 2004, and had 31 stores by 2005. It took over Birds Liquorsave in October 2005, rebranding the stores as The Mill Liquorsave. It also introduced no-frills stores in March 2006. Independent Brewers, a

Papakura Papakura is a southern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. Papakura is a M� ...

-based alcohol company owned by

Asahi Breweries is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo. In 2019, the group had revenue of JPY 2.1 trillion. Asahi's business portfolio can be segmented as follows: alcoholic beverage business (4 ...

, purchased The Mill franchise in May 2013. The franchise reached 35 stores; most were located in the North Island but none were located in Auckland. Independent Brewers sold The Mill to Foodstuffs for an undisclosed sum in October 2015, The stores were converted into LiquorLand stores. None of the stores were located in Auckland.

Duffy & Finn's (2006-2010)

Foodstuffs established the Duffy & Finn's alcohol chain in 2006. The first outlet, a small liquor store, opened in

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

in August. The second outlet, a $1 million 800m² large-format store, opened in Pukoohe in November. The chain was based on Australian liquor chain Dan Murphy's. At the time, Woolworths Group had been understood to be planning to expand the chain to New Zealand. The Duffy and Finn's store was phased out following Foodstuffs' purchase of LiquorLand in 2009. The two stores were continuing to operate in 2011. The brand was removed from the Foodstuffs website in the last three months of that year.

Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (2006-)

The first Henry's store was opened in Queenstown in October 2006. Foodstuffs purchased nine Imperial Discount Liquor stores in Kaikoura,

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

and

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, rebranding them as Henry's from June 2007. The Imperial Discount Liquor franchise had been operating since 2004.

History

During the initial COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020, Foodstuffs was required to close its liquor stores and shift to online sales. When the stores were allowed to reopen, they began surveying customers on how the stores and website could be improved. In 2021, Foodstuffs reached an agreement with

The Trusts The Trusts are a group of two community-owned organisations (licensing trusts) with a near monopoly on the sale of alcohol in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland. They are one of the largest alcohol retailers in New Zealand. The Portage Lice ...

, to allow some of its WestLiquor stores in West Auckland to be re-branded as LiquorLand. Under the agreement, Foodstuffs can make recommendations on pricing.

References

{{Supermarkets in New Zealand Alcohol distribution retailers in New Zealand Retail companies established in 1981