Total Wine & More is coming to South Beach. The Next Time reported that the wine and spirits retailer is headed to the Fifth & Alton shopping center.

New Times has confirmed that the Maryland-based retailer has inked a lease deal to open a store in the former Staples spot. Edward Cooper, vice president of public affairs and community relations, said, "We are really excited about opening a location in South Beach and believe that this is an area and a demographic that fits in with our concept."

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The 19,000-square-foot shop is scheduled to open around August and will bring about 50 new jobs to the neighborhood, about 75 percent of which are full-time positions that include benefits.

Cooper said that before Total Wine opens, each employee will go through a rigorous three-week training in wines, beer, and spirits. In addition, twice a year, employees with at least one year of tenure are eligible for training trips to Napa, Sonoma, and even Europe. "Each year, about 110 to 150 employees, mostly wine managers and sales staff, will go on those trips, where they'll visit scores of wineries and meet with wine makers."

The South Beach Total Wine will also house a state-of-the-art training facility where employees will receive ongoing education in brands and new products. In addition, the training room will host consumer seminars and "virtual tastings" where winemakers can present their product from far away while consumers in Miami Beach can taste it in real time. When not in use by Total Wine, the training room will be available to community groups for free. Organizations interested in booking the room can go to bookourroom@totalwine.com to reserve the space.

Total Wine South Beach will offer 14,000 to 15,000 spirits, wines, and beers, including a large selection of local brews, at competitive prices. "This Total Wine is a game changer," Cooper said. "We strive to be the customer service and price leader."

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