West London gets a taste of The Sampler

Award-winning retailer The Sampler has opened a new branch in South Kensington because it sells “a lot of pretty top end plonk”.

The London-based merchant, whose flagship store is in Islington, has also confirmed that a third London store opening is on the cards for 2011.

Speaking of the successful try-before-you-buy retailer’s point of difference, which has generated the ability to branch out, founder Jamie Hutchinson told the drinks business: “We think that the ability to try before you buy is the future for high street wine retailing anywhere where the customer has more than a passing interest in what they drink.

"Trying a wine before you buy it is vital to make sure that you are always delighted with what you get. Too many wines are sold on discount or brand rather than the quality of what is in the bottle. It takes time to establish, but eventually customers come to trust their own palate rather than having poor wines sold at them,” he added.

Hutchinson also highlighted his belief in the company’s point of difference when it comes to quality. He said: “Because we rely fully on quality rather than brand awareness, we spend much more time buying and importing than most other merchants of our size.

“This leads to what we hope is a really diverse and interesting list ranging from loads of mature wines back to the 19th century, a selection of 80 grower Champagnes and other oddities from around the world that are hard or impossible to find elsewhere.”

Speaking of the plans to open a third store, the location of which is as yet undetermined, Hutchinson commented: “We‘ve been planning to open a number of shops right from the very start.

“South Kensington was chosen as it is very easy for many people to get to, and the specific area that we are in is being dedicated to high quality food and drink sites, so we thought it made perfect sense. We also sell a lot of pretty top end plonk, so the wealthy catchment area should help too.”

Jane Parkinson, 08.11.2010