Confessions of a retail buyer: Selfridges

Dawn Davies, wine and spirits buyer for London department store Selfridges, divulges her passion for vermouth, why she loves working with certain brands, and why spirits industry workers are the best in the world.

Both the produce and the packaging have to be excellent; the two really do go hand in hand when it comes to producing a successful product. We also look for something different as we want customers at Selfridges to be able to experiment with something new. It’s always best to introduce the brand first via email. After we establish an interest in the product we usually request samples and take it from there.

Whisky and gin are our two most successful categories right now. Japanese Gin by the Cambridge Gin Company is especially popular. They forage for ingredients in their local town, so not only is it seasonal but it is a beautiful liquid. Another hugely popular product is David Beckham’s Haig Club – it’s our number one spirit at the moment.

At Selfridges best sellers tend to change with what is new, what is hot and what activity is happening around the brand to help drive it. However, we always have popular brands like Absolut limited editions that sell consistently well throughout the year.

I believe the Selfridges customer is looking for something that is different, new and looks great. They come to us to find out what is new to the market or a little bit off-piste. Gifting is incredibly important here so gift sets sell really well. I like to think if you are looking for something we will have it and if we don’t we will have the cooler equivalent.

With the sheer amount of new products that launch on the market, you really need to be aware of everything that is launching or any new trends that are occurring.

My passion is my living! I get to work with amazing new brands like Cambridge Gin, Duppy Share Rum, Mr Lyan to name a few. I love discovering a new product and we are very lucky that in our industry the people we work with are, as a rule, some of the best in the world.

I am all over vermouth at the moment. It is a very exciting category and one that has yet to really hit the mainstream, but is gathering pace. We have recently launched Belsazar and Regal Rogue and I am in love with both of those brands. I am also a sucker for mezcal and I think there are some fantastic small producers out there creating some stunning drinks and spirits.

At Selfridges I would call us inclusive. We are incredibly lucky to have such a broad spectrum of consumers as it allows us to have such a wide variety of spirits.

The key is stand out packaging; it’s the first thing you see and it’s what will draw people to your brand. Also knowledge of a spirit; we do a tremendous amount of tastings on the shop floor – we really want to bring the story of the brand to life this way.

Spirits drinkers are open to trying lots of different products, which is incredibly encouraging and exciting. There are so many fantastic spirits out there lacking the attention they deserve, but now we have a market willing and ready to try them.