r told Inside Retail PREMIUM. “Coles and Woolworths account for about 85 per cent of the liquor market in this country and the other 15 per cent is made up of fragmented, independent liquor retailers that are operating on strips and they’re a dying breed. We’re the new breed of online retail.” MyBottleShop, which is is modelled off UK-based online liquor pureplay, The Whiskey Exchange, will open a showroom in Sydney’s Marrickville in February. The showroom will offer master classes, tasting events, and training services, such as how to mix cocktails. It will also be a collection point for online orders. “Opening physical stores is something we have juggled with. We have asked, do we stay as a pure online player, or do we take that concept out onto the street? “The showroom is about giving people more of an experience. We’ll be trying to offer educational services that the big players like Dan Murphy’s and Liquorland can’t offer.” Rider says the rollout of showrooms will be dependent on the success of Marrickville. “I don’t want to dilute the ground that we have made as a pure online liquor store. We’re not opening shops or liquor stores, and we’re not selling beers. If we did rollout as bricks and mortar then it will be as showrooms.”