Jewels De Paragon

Bengaluru

liquor boutique Tonique

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By Akhila DamodaranTonique, inbuilding, will open its doors this weekendThis weekend,will hum the song ‘Humka Peeni Hai’ as the Asia’a largestis opening in the city at what was earlier called Jewels De Paragon circle, on MG Road. The team claims the G+1 building which will house close to 1,000 labels of wines and 50 labels each of beer and single malts will be one of the largest boutiques in the world. This would be the Tonique’s third store in the country after they opened two stores in Hyderabad, three years ago.Owned by entrepreneur Anith Reddy, the boutique aims to provide customers a different and safe experience while buying alcohol. Reddy says the team had been planning to open the store in the city for the past two years. “We want to educate our customers. The store will be more like a museum which will have close to 1,000 labels of wines and hard liquors. It would take close to 45 minutes for a customer to browse through our collection at the store,” he says adding that Bengaluru lacks many brands and their store would bridge the gap and provide brands from across the world.“According to our survey for which we spoke to students, doctors and engineers, we realised what’s lacking and what they need. They were looking for liquor from Dubai and other countries which are not available in the city. Though 700 labels of wines are registered in Bengaluru, you will not find more than 50 labels in any retail store,” he says. The location of the store or rather ‘museum’ has been strategically planned. “Due to our location being in the centre of the city, 60 per cent of the city population passes by our store every day,” he says.So, how did this journey of Tonique begin? Credits to Salman Khan. Bhai was upset when he realised there was scarcity of liquor in Hyderabad during his sister’s wedding at Taj Falaknuma Palace. That’s when the government officials checked with Anith Reddy and the store came into fruition, shares GLN Das who handles group operations.Reddy says Tonique represents luxury. “Name any country, we will have liquor from that place. Also, our staff is well trained. They are from hotel management background and know everything about the liquor including its history. We will have a staff of 30 on the floor, guiding customers,” he says.Das adds they expect to provide a unique and safe experience for Bengaluru customers. “Women may not be comfortable to go to other retail store and buy alcohol but our store will act as a safe environment. We have also appointed a female guard and also be providing valet parking,” says Das.Speaking about the response at the Hyderabad store, Das said, “It has been tremendous. We made sales close to 100 crore last year, in Hyderabad.”The price of alcohol at Tonique starts from about Rs 500. “The costliest one we have in Bengaluru as of now is the Chateau Petrus Pomerol which cost close to Rs 3.90 lakh,” says Das. He also added that the brand plans to expand with five to six smaller stores in Bengaluru before they put their foot in the Mumbai and Delhi markets.