In May 2009, the Rīga Spirits & Wine Outlet was opened on the ground floor of the former Hull Shop in Andrejsala, Andrejostas Street 4 (see map, item #13). ‘The main idea of our outlet is to offer our customers drinks at reasonable prices that are definitely lower than those in a supermarket,’ explains Andris Lūkins, chairman of the outlet’s executive board.
The outlet is mostly targeted at tourists that come to Rīga by boat since it is only a couple of minutes of walk away from Andrejsala’s cruise ship harbour where liners stop on a regular basis during the summer. It is also very close to the main Rīga passenger harbour. ‘There are about ten such outlets operating successfully near the Tallinn harbour, while the number of those in Germany cannot be counted,’ says Lūkins, an experienced alcohol seller. ‘Before opening this outlet here in Andrejsala, we visited Tallinn and a few urban harbours in Germany, so we too decided to give it a try.’ Historically, Rīga has always been an harbour town, and pioneering into outlet business is a good thing for Andrejsala.
The outlet premises were formerly used for various cultural and artistic events such as exhibitions, theatre performances, Andrejdiena celebrations and other public happenings. Only a year ago one would probably fail to predict that it would make the perfect location for a drinks outlet. As you know, though, everything changes. ‘We were looking for a place near the harbour, one that could be easily reached by car, bus or foot. Many Swedish tourists enjoy shopping here while their bus is parked right at the door so they don’t have to carry all the goods to the boat,’ Lūkins continues. They seem to be most fond of stronger spirits and wine that comes in bags-in-boxes, probably owing to the much long consumption term once it is opened. To the surprise of Swedish customers, Andrejsala’s outlet offers Spendrups beer at about 50% its price in their homeland. As of late summer, the outlet also offers varieties of great Latvian beer.
At the moment, there are two cash-desks operating in the outlet, but there are plans to improve and speed up customer service since no-one enjoys waiting in long queues, a sight one can see whenever a cruise ship is moored at the Andrejsala harbour. On no-boat days the occasional local stops by, beckoned by the red signs attached to the façades of the Hull Shop building. It was around Jāņi, the Latvian national midsummer’s day, that the outlet addressed its local customers with a special offer, so the number of the Rīgans in the know is expected to rise.
During the week, the Rīga Spirits & Wine Outlet is open from 10 am to 7 pm; on Saturdays, the hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Sundays it's open from 10 am to 5 pm.
