It must be follow-up Monday -- because, in a moment, a peek at the new-and-improved corner of Elm and Harwood. But first, regarding Sunday's heads-up about 7-Eleven's getting into the beer biz, earlier today 7-Eleven spokesperson Margaret Chabris sent along The Official Press Release, which follows after the jump. She also had some more specific answers to a few questions we had, chief among them: When will it arrive in stores?
We are waiting to hear from the TABC. It's totally up to them. Then the stores have to order from the distributors. For example, we received word that Virginia gave the OK last week, but the Virginia stores won't have it available until April 28. So it can typically take about 2 weeks from the approval of the state til the beer is in the store.Next question: Is it a "budget" or "premium" beer?
It is a premium beer, but at a budget price as our news release said.And, final question: How is this different from 7-Eleven's earlier foray into the brewing business, 2003's Santiago?
When 7-Eleven introduced Santiago de Oro imported beer in 2003, the economic times were much different. We went up against a name brand that was merchandised for the exotic vacation-in-a-bottle experience, and consumers were attracted to that. They were buying up, and not as concerned with price. Those were different times and consumers had different needs. In 2003, a customer had $20 in his pocket, and gas was about $1.50 a gallon. Today, he might have $10 in his pocket and gas is $3 a gallon. Many more consumers are looking for ways to save money -- including the beer they drink. We discontinued offering the Santiago beer in 2004.Now jump for the release. Cheers!
