Gary's Wine & Marketplace Named "Retailer of the Year" by Beverage Dynamics

Wayne, NJ ... March 12, 2012 ... Gary's Wine & Marketplace, one of New Jersey's largest fine wine, spirits, and gourmet specialty food retailers, has been chosen 2012 "Retailer of the Year" by Beverage Dynamics, the influential trade publication targeted to beverage alcohol retailers. The publication recognized that the three-store chain "since its origins in 1987, has elevated the wine experience in northern New Jersey."

The award names CEO and company founder, Gary Fisch, as an important innovator credited with having "combined the New York idea of the wine superstore with the European idea of the upscale wine-and-food emporium ..." Those words echo New Jersey Monthly magazine's when they cited Gary as one of the "101 Most Influential People in the Garden State, in their 2009 "Power Issue."

In naming Gary's Wine & Marketplace "Retailer of the Year," Beverage Dynamics (Jan-Feb issue) offers up a compelling historical overview of the company, delving into the strength of Fisch's unique product mix of wine, beer, spirits, gourmet items, and giftware.

Much attention is given to the "sheer pizzazz" of the flagship Wayne store: "Despite its mammoth 24,000 square feet ... the three-year-old store offers unique touches like a raised Italian-villa-style construction over the entrance, potted trees and a fine-foods area as large as many stand-alone delis. Yet it manages to convey a sense of intimacy and approachability at the same time, and even a note of whimsy."

What other unique characteristics reinforce Gary's selection as 2012 "Retailer of the Year"?
* Highest bidder at the prestigious Premiere Napa Valley auction 10 years in a row
* Upgraded in-store tasting experience. Wine is sampled in Reidel stems, not plastic cups!
* Unique three-tiered private label program ("GF") that consistently over-delivers with exceptional quality at value pricing
* Extraordinary growth of Gary's "4th store," the Internet
* Hands-on management that starts at the top and filters throughout the company.

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Gary's Wine & Marketplace began as a small wine shop in Madison, NJ in 1987 and has grown to one of the largest fine wine businesses in the New York metropolitan area, with three stores in Northern New Jersey (Bernardsville, Madison, Wayne). A commitment to friendly, attentive service by knowledgeable employees; passion for wine, beer, spirits and the related products that the company sells;extensive staff travel each year to the wine-producing regions of the world; and myriad wine & food events for the public set Gary's apart.