German franchise concept, Vom Fass, known as a “lolly shop for adults,” sees customers sampling single malts, cognacs, rums, spirits, liqueurs, oils, balsamic and fruit vinegars, straight from the cask, before they buy.Paul Matthews, franchise owner of the first Australian Vom Fass retail store at West Lakes in Adelaide, and master partner for the brand in Australia, says he is looking to expand its Australian footprint, opening 16 to 20 franchises across Australia over the next 10 years.“We wanted to get one store open and get all the little bugs ironed out that you find from opening a new store with a new concept, in a new country, that is completely and utterly unheard of,” said Matthews.Vom Fass Australia has also launched its online store, which offers free delivery Australia-wide for orders over $150.The Vom Fass concept is loosely based on a Mediterranean marketplace, where customers can look, touch, sample, and buy products in whatever style bottle they choose.“The extent of knowledge our franchisees have is what makes Vom Fass what it is. It is all about the person that is in the store.”Matthews says he can always tell if it’s a customers first visit, “because they walk in and their jaws drop, their mouths open, and they look very wide eyed around the shop going ‘oh my goodness’, because it is like an Aladdin’s cave of really good products that you just can’t find elsewhere”.“Everything in the shop is stored in big glass orbs, barrels, kegs, or decanters; consumers can try them, and then buy them in any variety of the bottles that we have in store,” he said.Vom Fass’ range of products come from all over the world – Italy, Spain, Greece, Scotland, Ireland, even some South Australian products – and all are produced using traditional, old production methods.“They are traditionally made, and really well cared for during the production process, and then you get a really high quality product as the end result.“They are made by small producers using real ingredients, so on the whole you won’t find things like preservatives, or artificial flavourings,” says Matthews.“Customers come into the store and love it, they love the concept, and the whole fact that they can try products before buying them.”Vom Fass has one Australian store in Adelaide, and has launched an aggressive campaign to find new Australian franchisees. It has a presence in 23 countries around the world.Vom FassOrigin: Regensburg, GermanyFirst store opened: 23 March, 1994 in GermanyCurrent store count: 250 worldwideCountry count: 23This article first appeared in Inside Retail PREMIUM issue 2005.