If consumers can find a wide array of fancy decaffeinated drinks that taste deceptively like actual caffeinated coffee, then it’s about time for them to also have access to non-alcoholic beverage products that taste like actual alcohol. Today’s populace has wholeheartedly embraced the health and wellness craze, resulting in the rise of the new “sober curious” drinker — someone who dabbles in non-alcoholic consumption. Gone are the days of relying solely on O’Doul’s beer or a Shirley Temple cocktail; there is now a huge array of non-alcoholic spirits, mixers, beer and wine that all feature an elevated liquor-esque flavor. Even celebrities popular with the Gen Z/millennial audience have released their own line of non-alcoholic beverages.
The market is growing for these products that mimic the rich flavor of actual alcohol and there are new bottle shops popping up that solely carry this niche merchandise. Two retailers that stand out for being on the verge of nationally expanding their non-alcohol bottle shop brands are Boisson and Sèchey.
Boisson, which in two years opened nine of its non-alcoholic bottle shops in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, anticipates opening an additional 25 to 30 units by late 2023/early to mid-2024. The brand will target major metros, seeking sites in the greater San Francisco area, San Diego, Portland, Ore., Seattle, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Boston. Boisson is in a healthy position for growth, thanks to its latest investment round of $12M raised last spring, led by Blue Scorpion Investments and Connect Ventures.
Boisson is looking for inline or end cap space in the 2,500- to 4,000-s.f. range, in urban metro street-front locations, including the ground floor of mixed-use spaces, near upper income residences and offices. Preferred co-tenants include trendy, health-minded athleisure lifestyle/sustainability-themed brands, including Lululemon and Allbirds, as well as vegetarian restaurants, such as Veggie Grill. Area should have great walkability and be within driving distance of its larger customer base, due to the brand’s same day delivery service. Its demographic base consists of affluent customers with refined tastes who are seeking premium drink options in the non-alcoholic category. Boisson plans to sell products culled from local distillers/vintners and offer free tasting events to educate and entertain the growing sober curious community.
Another newcomer brand in this category is Sèchey, which opened its first two shops this year in both Charleston, N.C., and in New York City’s West Village neighborhood. The brand expects to open up to five more stores in 2023, and up to 10 new stores in 2024. Areas targeted include the Northeast, specifically New York, as well as continued growth in the South, with additional sites being considered in Charleston, as well as Atlanta and its surrounding communities. Preferred sites should be inline or end cap space, between 1,500 and 2,500 s.f., of street level retail or ground floor units of mixed-use residential.
Sèchey isn’t particular with targeting a specific demographic, admitting that the mindful drinking audience is not limited to a particular age or gender. Its first two retail street-front units have great curb appeal on walkable streets close to mixed-use properties, with a large population of 35- to 40-year-old millennials and an average household income of $75K/year within a three-mile radius. Co-tenants include independent ethnic eateries, hair salons, such as Dry Bar, and dessert shops, such as OddFellows Ice Cream Co. Sèchey offers taste samples and will even provide drink flights for a small fee. The brand intends for its future shops to also have a bar area, in which a cocktail curator will whip up unique non-alcoholic treats.
