Sven Reinbold is also a familiar face in the REWE Group wine cosmos. An interview with the former head buyer of the omni-channel retailer Weinfreunde.de:

one: Sven, you've been managing director of Kölner Weinkeller for more than 100 days. Looking at your CV, you've never done anything other than wine. How did you get into wine?

Sven Reinbold: The first time I worked with wine, I was 16 years old. My parents had their own vineyards on the Kaiserstuhl. I then studied wine management in Heilbronn. My goal was always to take over a small winery at the age of 40. But that never happened. But at the age of 50, I became managing director of one of the best wine merchants in Germany. I'm really proud of that!

one: You were previously responsible for purchasing at Weinfreunde.de. What's different now?

Sven Reinbold: I have changed my job as a wine buyer - especially at weinfreunde.de - loved it. The online trade is extremely fast-moving, constantly changing, constantly comparing prices, always going with the trend. Stationary retail in the REWE stores was also a core business at Weinfreunde, but in the Cologne wine cellar I now have direct customer contact, experience purchasing behaviour live, get to know the customers and can act directly with my team, be it through new launches, offers, tastings or events.

one: That has a strong experiential character. What do you offer customers at KWK in this respect?

Sven Reinbold: That's one of the first things I focussed on. We have established three new event series to bring our customers into the cellar, get to know them personally and give them a personalised sensory experience. Whether it's with renowned winemakers from all over Europe, tastings with various topics relating to wine & co. and popular beginners' seminars organised by our sommeliers. I really believe that the topic of "wine and events" - we have a unique location with our cellar - will be a major competitive advantage for us

one: Your old employer Weinfreunde.de and Kölner Weinkeller are strategically structured within REWE Wein online GmbH. Do you see synergies between the two sales lines?

Sven Reinbold: Definitely! Since the REWE Group's Wine Competence Centre was founded, there has been a regular exchange between the category management teams of REWE, Weinfreunde and Kölner Weinkeller. Despite our different orientations, we have already developed products together and sell them successfully in all units. In future, we would like to move even closer together with Weinfreunde and the REWE full-range and utilise the power that we have together. We are currently thinking about dropshipping, for example. This would allow customers to order "fine wines", i.e. very high-quality wines, from the Cologne wine cellar's range from Weinfreunde.de - without Weinfreunde having to go through the logistically complex listing process. That would be a win-win situation for both brands.

one: Climate change, crop failures, competitive pressure from abroad... Winegrowers, but also the wine trade per se, are currently experiencing a difficult phase. What are the biggest challenges currently facing the wine trade - and how is Kölner Weinkeller positioning itself in this environment?

sven Reinbold: A major change is currently taking place. In times of corona, the online wine trade was booming, after which everyone was happy to go out again, to live, to consume in the catering trade. The trend is currently on the decline again: healthy living and non-alcoholic drinks are the order of the day. This affects both online retailers and full-range colleagues. But it's precisely in times like these that you have to be innovative in order to appeal to all customers. There are so many exciting - and actually amazingly delicious - non-alcoholic wines and spirits that we are testing out as a team and are happy to include in our range for our customers. Despite all the current developments, there will still be people who appreciate a good glass of wine. That's why it's important to remain a strong premium specialist retailer for customers. In the Wine Competence Centre, we are working together with Weinfreunde as an umbrella brand for wine in the full-range with a strong focus on this topic and are increasingly focusing on quality rather than quantity. Contrary to the general downward trend in the wine market, we are currently doing very well with this strategy.

one: And finally: What can we expect from you and the Kölner Weinkeller in the next 100 days?

sven Reinbold: I am incredibly happy to be responsible for what is probably the most beautiful vaulted cellar in Cologne. With this unique location, this extraordinary range and the concentrated wine expertise in the team, I want to 'awaken the cellar from its slumber'. The next 100 days in particular are the most important and best-selling days in the wine trade - we want to capitalise on this with many events, one or two new customer promotions, but also with exciting campaigns for our existing customers. I am very optimistic and look forward to raising the cellar to the skies with all of our colleagues - some old, some brand new.