Bottoms Up: Vintage Cellars in Neutral Bay to close its doors after 55 years.

By ANNA USHER

Neutral Bay is about to welcome a new, independently owned bottle shop offering premium wines, spirits and beer.

Harry’s Liquor will open at 19 Ben Boyd Rd, replacing Vintage Cellars which has serviced the south side of Military Rd for the past 55 years.

Vintage Cellars will re-brand as Liquorland, and has transferred its license, to adjoin the new Coles complex on Grosvenor St.

The store expected to open alongside the supermarket launch in May and will have a 105sqm footprint, with opening hours from 8am – 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 10pm on Sunday.

Harry’s Liquor, owned by Hasan (Harry) Gogebakan, is already well established in Sydney’s outer suburbs and is the brands first outlet on the lower north shore.

In its application to the NSW Liquor and Gaming Board, Mr Gogebakan said the new bottle-shop will employ one staff member full time, and six part-time/casual workers.

Its hours of operation will be from 10am to 8pm Monday – Thursday, 10am to 9pm Friday – Saturday, and 10am to 7pm on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Coles announced the retirement of the Vintage Cellars and First Choice chains, as the supermarket giant consolidates in its booze battle against competitors.

Vintage Cellars and First Choice will be rolled into the Liquorland branding under the new names Liquorland Cellars and Liquorland Warehouse.

About 160 stores will be renamed and refitted, expanding Liquorland’s footprint by a quarter, following a pilot program ran at 14 stores across South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

“This is the biggest transformation in the history of Coles Liquor Group, and we believe it will have a meaningful impact on how we serve customers the drinks they want, when they want them, and how we partner with suppliers to deliver value,” Coles Liquor chief executive Michael Courtney said.

Liquorland will also introduce a price match service “which means if you see a better price at another retailer, we’ll match it”, Mr Courtney said.

“In terms of range, we are bringing a more tailored and relevant drink selection from the three banners under one roof.

“This means we will be unlocking the best-selling premium drops from Vintage Cellars and great value drinks from First Choice Liquor Market, and making them more accessible to customers through Liquorland across the country.”