Neal Rounseville is the consummate wine salesman. After some 45 years in the beverage retail business, he’s got all the right tools to cordially engage customers, share his knowledge, make the sale, and then get them to return. 

“We always strive for excellent customer service,” says the vice president and second-generation owner of Connecticut’s M&R Liquors chain. And that starts from the minute a customer walks into the store. “We do our best to engage with them,” Rounseville explains, “and keep the conversation going.” For example, rather than asking if a customer needs help, M&R staff is encouraged to share some type of knowledge about a wine. “If you ask them if they need help, and they say, ‘no,’ you’re done,” the retailer explains. “Rather, we focus on jumping to the second line of the conversation. If someone’s shopping for a Chardonnay, for instance, we may tell them about the last Chardonnay that we enjoyed. It starts a conversation.” 

With six stores that circle the greater Hartford area, M&R boasts annual sales revenue in excess of $20 million. Wine accounts for 38% of sales, followed by spirits at 32%, beer at 25%, and miscellaneous items at 5%. Stores—located in South Windsor, Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, Manchester, and Southington—range in size from 8,000 to 10,000 square feet. One of the oldest multi-unit liquor store operators in the state, M&R employs 65 workers, many of whom are long-term staff members. “The new guy has been with us for five years,” says Rounseville. “It’s unusual for us to hire a team member who only stays for one or two years. Our staff enjoys the customers, and they enjoy the products.” 

For his commitment to helping educate guests and providing best-in-class customer service, Neal Rounseville has been named a 2024 Market Watch Leader. 

Family Business Blossoms

Founded in Glastonbury in 1952 by Rounseville’s parents, Marrion and Roy, M&R experienced tremendous growth in the following decades as the bedroom communities around Hartford, the state capital, as well as the insurance capital of the country, were built out. During the ’50s and ’60s, stores were bought and sold, with the chain reaching as high as 14 units in the early ’70s. In 1972, the original Glastonbury store was moved and rebuilt across the street—with “sweat equity” help from family members, the retailer notes—where it still sits today. Rounseville and his brother Gary—who was named a Market Watch Leader in 1997—joined the family business that decade, and decisions were made to pare down the number of stores to concentrate on the markets with the most opportunity.

In the 1980s, the Rounseville brothers took over the family business. “My father said that when he retired to Florida, he was close enough that he could come back if we screwed it up,” Neal recalls. “Well, he never did have to work again.” The South Windsor store, now considered the flagship location, was built in 2008 with a second-floor events space for staff and customer tastings. In 2017, an accidental fire burnt the Manchester store to the ground, but, fortunately, it was rebuilt in time for the Christmas holiday that year. Gary, now retired, still serves as president of the company. And the third generation of Rounsevilles is also involved in the business—Gary’s son, Ian, oversees the chain’s IT functions, and Neal’s son, Kyle, attends to company finances.

While Neal helped out maintaining the stores as a youth, he joined the family business full time at age 21. “I’ve done everything from running the stores on a day-to-day basis to receiving training on wine and other products to modernizing the business from a technology standpoint,” he says, including bookkeeping, inventory, centralized pricing and ordering, payroll, and insurance. His eye for high-quality craftmanship is also evident in the stores, which all feature custom-made wine shelving, designed to convey a sophisticated wine shop.

Quality Seekers

M&R stocks about 4,000 wine SKUs, generally priced from $7 a 750-ml. of Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon to $400 for the 2019 Opus One. Top-selling labels include Apothic Winemaker’s red blend ($10), Meiomi Pinot Noir ($18), Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc ($15), and Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($22). Rounseville says that consumers are drinking a little bit less these days than in the past, yet “they don’t mind spending a little more to get the quality they want.” As a result, reds including California Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and blends are faring well. Among white wines, Sauvignon Blancs are popular, the retailer says. “That’s a category where consumers are looking for quality, but they’re not as willing to spend as much as they would for red wines.”

To aid customers in discovering new wines and wine regions, the chain boasts its own “M&R Direct” wines, which include selections sourced through its membership in the Wine & Spirits Guild. “The selection keeps growing,” Rounseville says of the line, driven by the good value they offer customers. He also sees opportunity ahead for white wines from Oregon. “There are some outstanding Chardonnays coming out of Oregon. We’re optimistic that might be the next big thing,” the retailer notes. Half bottles are another emerging trend, and the stores now offer dedicated sections for 375-ml. splits. “Consumers are looking for better quality wines in half bottles,” Rounseville says, “even if they’re paying more per glass.”

Another growth area in wine for M&R is its e-commerce sales. The chain ships product to consumers in any states where it legally can, and already, that business accounts for as much as 12% of the chain’s wine sales. “And it’s growing all the time,” Rounseville says.

Some 2,600 spirits SKUs are stocked at M&R, priced from $11 a 750-ml. for Hiram Walker Peppermint schnapps to $600 for the Glenlivet 25-year-old. Top-selling labels include Tito’s vodka ($30 a 1.75-liter), Bacardi rum ($22), and Canadian Club whisky ($20). As at other retail shops, Bourbon drives traffic to the stores, Rounseville says, although if customers can’t find a new coveted brand, they often leave empty handed. “We just can’t get enough Bourbon,” he laments. “It’s become the drink of choice for educated sippers.” M&R releases upwards of eight barrel picks a year, but demand for those products is slowing, Rounseville notes. “Consumers are constantly searching for a new Bourbon, so if they’ve already tried one from a particular producer, they’re not that interested in another one,” he explains. Lottery drawings are sometimes held for the allocated Bourbons M&R does receive.

RTDs, however, are a bright spot. “They’re the wave of the future,” says Rounseville. “Very few people want to buy all the ingredients to make a drink,” and the pre-made drinks simplify the process. Because of that, he believes that RTDs won’t be as faddish as hard seltzers but will have staying power. Brands like High Noon are priced at $20 an 8-pack of 355-ml. cans at M&R.

The retailer offers about 1,800 beer SKUs, priced from $6 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans of Busch Light to $33 for a 4-pack of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA in 12-ounce bottles. “Connecticut has become home to some good quality craft brewers,” says Rounseville, pointing to breweries like Counter Weight and New England Brewing. While craft beer isn’t surging like it was five years ago, “the craft business is still strong,” he says. Among crafts, Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Sip of Sunshine ($16 a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans) is a top seller at the chain.

Customer Service Standout

While M&R’s product selection is impressive, its emphasis on customer service is what makes it truly stand out. For years, the Rounsevilles have encouraged team members to broaden their wine education by attending tastings, classes, and even visiting wine-growing regions around the world. “We’ve been very aggressive about educating our staff through events like monthly wine seminars,” the retailer notes, as well as an educational program that allows members to travel and “learn not just about the wine, but the culture and the food of the region,” he says, “and how wine plays a role in everyday life.”

Proper sales skills are also emphasized. “A liquor store is different from a hardware store, where the function of the staff is to find things for the customer,” Rounseville says. Rather, it’s important for beverage alcohol retailers to engage customers in conversations about the type of products they like and the occasions they may be celebrating. His pet peeves include clerks asking customers, “is that it?” at checkout and lack of eye contact.

To promote the stores, M&R largely relies on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Monthly newsletters are also emailed to some 4,000 customers. “We try not to oversaturate our customers’ inboxes with emails,” Rounseville says of the program, “but rather, keep the messages informative.” In-store tasting events—such as the recent Italian wine tasting ($15 a person)—also help drive customers to the stores.

Rounseville has seen many changes in beverage alcohol retailing over the course of his career. In addition to increased competition from both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce operators, he cites the search for quality workers as an ongoing challenge. There are no immediate plans for additional stores, but that doesn’t mean the longtime retailer is slowing down. “Retail is a great business,” Rounseville says, “especially when I can develop a relationship with the customers. It’s all about the customers.”