BWS hopes to expand the concept to further BWS drive-thru sites across Australia throughout 2023 | Photo credit: Double Shot

Australia's BWS has launched Australia’s first Double Shot, a new drive drive-thru coffee concept, at its Gateway Drive outlet in Devonport, Tasmania. 
 

The concept is a partnership between the Endeavour Group, owners of the BWS beer, wine and spirits retailer, and Double Shot, a newly-launched division of Australian-owned Oasis Griffiths Group (OG Group), which operates packaged coffee retailers Oasis Coffee and DHUWA, and Victoria-based coffee roasters Coffee Lab and Griffiths Bros, which supplies Double Shot. 

OG Group Managing Director Peter Patisteas said the company was keen to ‘conceptualise a new premium Australian coffee brand’ and its existing portfolio of premium coffee-first companies would enable the drive-thru concept to be easily expanded. 

The drive-thru project will be lead by BWS, which currently operates more than 1,400 alcohol-focused 'bottle shop' stores across Australia. 

BWS hopes to expand the concept to further BWS drive-thru sites across Australia throughout 2023. 

Approximatey 20% of BWS' stores currently operate as drive-thru sites.
 

“An opportunity was identified to expand our convenience offering to attract a new customer and further satisfy the core. We’ve seen the activity of other convenient coffee brands and the demand from consumers, but we also know many aren’t satisfied with the quality of the dollar offerings. BWS has prime locations that are drive-thru ready, making the introduction of first-class coffee pit stops that will offer express, contactless and consistent coffee an endeavour worth pursuing,” said Bianca Milne, Format Development and Innovation Manager, BWS. 
 

Several Australian convenience retailers introduced or improved their coffee offerings in 2022 in response to increased customer demand for on-the-go coffee. 

In July 2022, fast food chain Hungry Jack’s said it was focusing on consumer demand for drive-thru coffee and would target opportunities within Australia’s premium and specialty coffee market with the national rollout of 410 Jack’s Café outlets. 

The following month, domestic supermarket chain Coles Group indicated customers were prioritising convenience when it comes to ordering coffee and its A$1 ($0.69) in-store coffee offer had ‘never been more popular’.   

Meanwhile, Nestlé began marketing and distributing Starbucks ready-to-drink (RTD) iced coffee in Australia in December 2022, via Woolworths, IGA, 7/11, BP and EG Group-operated supermarket and convenience stores. 

The Swiss food and beverage giant said RTD is a fast-growing category in Australia and Starbucks would develop a ‘strong innovation pipeline’ to enhance its presence in the segment.