N. American Ex Awards 2017

16 CORP AMERICA / North American Excellence 2017 , AndrewPeller Import Agency is a Canadian supplier of some of the finest wines in the world. We interviewed Alex Bakker to find out more. Best PremiumWine Agency 2017 - Canada Andrew Peller Import Agency is an importer, warehouser, and marketing agent specializing in premium wines and spirits imported from around the world. A division of Andrew Peller Limited; a leading producer and marketer of quality Canadian wines. The agency services alcohol beverage buying customers at all levels and in all channels in English Canada. Alex outlines how client service is the driving force behind the firm and how this has led to its success. “Here at Andrew Peller, our commitment to our suppliers, customers and each other is driving our success. Defining a clear strategy and adhering to admirable values is powerful and makes decision making simple, so we can focus on excellence in customer service at all levels. “Essential to our approach is the fact that we believe that honesty, transparency, and accountability are the fundamental qualities in any relationship. Adhering to these standards drives best in class long term, partnerships which in turn generates successful results year in and year out that we can be proud of. “As part of Andrew Peller Limited, one of the largest domestically owned wine companies in Canada, we offer the personality and customer service of an entrepreneurial agency, with the breadth of resources of a large corporation. Our vision is to be the most respected agency in Canada, not necessarily the largest. We leverage our large sales team, business intelligence, strong relationships and a dedication to a focused portfolio.” The Canadian alcohol beverage business is currently in a state of transformation, which has provided Andrew Peller with many invigorating chances for development. Each of the ten provinces and three territories has their legislation and regulations that make doing business in Canada both challenging but if managed effectively, will bring opportunity. Some of the larger monopolies have recently conducted intensive reviews and have brought new regulations and in some cases relaxation of historical policies. This is an exciting and rapidly changing environment. Foreign exchange is a factor that is causing pricing and margin challenges, particularly in the importation of wines and spirits as firms such as Andrew Peller try to stay competitive with their domestic industry. Recently, the biggest trend in the Canadian alcohol beverage market place has been more relaxed regulations, inviting increased retail channel outlets like grocery stores to compete outside the historical government monopoly channels. To combat the potential loss of sales in their owned stores in this new NAE17037 K Company: Andrew Peller Import Agency a division of Andrew Peller Limited Address: 697 South Service Road, Grimsby, Ontario, L3M 4E8 Phone: 604-264-0404 Fax: 604-264-6810 Email: [email protected] Website: www.importagency.andrewpeller.com. era of increased competitive environment, the governments seem to be leaning to increased taxes and duties as well as more centralized distribution to reduce costs. In order to adapt around these developments, Andrew Peller have been carefully monitoring competitive pricing and promotional spending, and are constantly re-evaluating who their customers are, as well their current and future needs. Therefore, moving forward Alex believes that the firm’s future success will rest on this unwavering focus on client service, as Andrew Peller seeks to build upon its 28-year history and develop a legacy for excellence. “Looking ahead, we will remain focused on our greater vision and understand that this could mean a shift in strategy. This years’ deliberate investment in a strong foundation of processes and people is one of our building blocks that will enable us to generate efficiencies and drive greater focus on the changing landscape.” “Ultimately our strategy is not changing, we continue to be focused in our approach to our customers and our portfolio in order to drive market share for our partners. This year we plan to invest in ourselves, both in headcount and talent development to perfect our processes and increase our efficiencies across all areas of business in order to continue to provide world class service to all of our clients, both existing and future.”