For over 25 years, Costco has relied on pumped up inflated sampling demonstrations called roadshows as an avenue for emerging brands to get placement in the club stores. Though these roadshows offer unique opportunities to market and sell a product on consignment in the prized big box chain, they are complicated to navigate and not inexpensive to run. In speaking with a number of brands and brokers with experience working roadshows, one piece of advice stood out: don’t sleep on preparation.

1️⃣ Over-Index On Staff: These all-day events often run Thursday through Sunday can see over 2,000 club members come to a demo table. Between handing out samples, telling the brand’s story and value propositions, and packaging sold product, having a number of people on-hand is important.

2️⃣ Right time, Right Place: It is imperative to understand if doing a roadshow now is right for a brand. Between the overhead costs going in and the logistics of planning, being at the proper stage of brand growth can be the difference between success and failure.

3️⃣ Don’t Be Afraid To Negotiate: Costco has strict guidelines to a roadshow but having a broker or a brand representative negotiate pricing and what the sales targets for the roadshow can increase the chances of leveraging a good sampling weekend into getting product on-shelf.

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Has the heyday of fancy celebrity tequila come to an end? A new IWSR report says the future is likely a little blurry. 

As we reported earlier this month, tequila sales in 2023 have reversed with lower price segments growing at a similar pace as premium-plus bottles. 

That tradedown is happening across categories, but there are a few causes specific to tequila, including a “Tito’s moment”: consumers are finding that the quality of the overall category has stepped up, meaning they can stick to lower priced options that exceed their quality expectations.

North America still accounts for the majority of volumes, but with the market here so saturated, tequila brands may need to look for growth elsewhere. India, Spain, and the UK, as well as the recovery of duty-free and tourism channels in Asia could have potential. 

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Japanese conglomerate Suntory has invested an undisclosed “multi-million dollar” amount into beanless “coffee” brand Atomo, Bloomberg reported this week.

☕ Founded in 2018, Atomo produces a line of cold brew beverages made with upcycled ingredients, including date seeds, to make a coffee-like drink without any actual coffee in it. Atomo closed a $40 million Series A round last year ahead of a DTC ecommerce launch in June.

🏭 Atomo also announced that its ingredients processing facility in southern California will be up and running next week with the capacity to process up to 12 million date pits per year. The company will also open a roastery in March.

🛍️ The investment is also supporting brick-and-mortar rollout for the brand. Gumption Coffee in New York is set to begin selling Atomo this month, Bloomberg added.

With cognac demand declining over the past year, the maker of Remy Martin cognac and Cointreau liqueur reported a 43% dip in H1 operating profit, and doesn’t expect things to look up until the next fiscal year.

⬇️ Sales have fallen for Remy Contreau as U.S. retailers and wholesalers try to clear their elevated inventories following a post-pandemic boom for high end spirits. Its H1 sales were down 26.6%.

✂️ The U.S. market will not see a growth in sales until the next fiscal year, the company reiterated yesterday. After announcing a cost-cutting plan in October, the group has so far cut 25 million euros ($27 million) out of 100 million euros ($109.47 million) in targeted savings. 

🚚 But the group vowed to hold its price increases on higher end products — although there may be some promotional plans as there is still about five months' worth of stock in the U.S. and it’s unclear when products will start to move.

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