global wines & spirits group · China
winning the night, outlet by outlet
Mapped China’s prestige night into three moments, seven personas and 23 cities, gave each brand a clear role, and turned a wide but thinly converted presence into a focused plan for growth.
the night is no longer one occasion. which moments are worth owning, which brand should lead each, and why are we turning so little of our reach into sales?
the question we were asked
where should we grow in china’s nightlife?
context
china’s night economy was growing fast, and nights were getting longer and less predictable: several stops, new venue formats, new drinkers. the group had a strong portfolio of prestige spirits and champagnes, but one way of selling, built for an older idea of a night out.
what we found
the prestige night is small and concentrated. only a fraction of night venues meet a prestige spending threshold, mostly in about two dozen cities.
reach wasn’t the problem; conversion was. the group already knew most prestige venues, but sold in few of them, and almost all its volume came from a small group of outlets under contract.
the night had split into three moments with different people and needs: dancing (release and status), entertaining (bonding and impressing business partners) and cocktailing (discovery and connoisseurship).
seven night personas, from students living a second life after dark to founders hosting clients, explained who drives each moment.
cities behave differently. one southern market was loyal and energy-led, with a rival winning on contracts. shanghai was novelty-driven and less loyal, with cocktail and whisky bars rising fast.
what we advised against
treating the night as one occasion · chasing outlet coverage without contracts · one approach for every city · leaving cocktail culture to competitors
what we designed
own the prestige night with a portfolio role for each moment: · dancing: build a high-energy community in clubs, led by the group’s high-visibility brands. · entertaining: reach business leaders’ networks through premium ktv and night clubs, led by the top tiers. · cocktailing: secure an iconic presence in leading bars, led by brands with craft and discovery stories. prioritise cities on a scorecard of market attractiveness and current performance, with a distinct play for each: deepen contracts beyond the top outlets in one, co-create experiences with the best bars in the other. three workstreams with named owners and timelines: commercial excellence, night community, cocktail strategy.
how we built the view
cultural and anthropological study · consumer interviews and focus groups · 11 outlet owner and operator interviews · venue mapping across 160,000+ night outlets · a 23-city scorecard · two city deep dives · competitive intelligence
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