Gopuff Acquires Kentucky’s Liquor Barn

Deal gives e-commerce platform access to new customers with wines, spirits and unique selection of bourbon

6/22/2021

Gopuff's latest acquisition gives it access to Liquor Barn's valuable infrastructure, established customer base and unique product assortment.

Gopuff’s instant delivery of everyday essential products will now include more alcohol offerings. The e-commerce platform has acquired Liquor Barn, Kentucky’s independent chains of beer, wine and liquor stores, from private equity firm Blue Equity LLC.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Liquor Barn, an incredible brand and team with loyal customers, as we bring the Gopuff experience to new customers across Kentucky,” said Daniel Folkman, SVP business for Gopuff. “This acquisition brings two customer-focused brands together to introduce new products and experiences while rapidly accelerating Gopuff’s geographic footprint in the region as we continue our expansion. We look forward to welcoming Liquor Barn to the team, becoming more deeply entrenched in the Bluegrass State and serving as a go-to solution for new customers to fulfill their most sought-after instant needs.”

The acquisition accelerates Gopuff’s expansion in Kentucky and provides more customers in the state — including more than 80% of Louisville and Lexington residents — with access to immediate delivery of everyday items. The deal also uniquely positions Gopuff to support Kentucky’s bourbon industry and its thousands of employees by working with distributors to expand access to products nationwide — and introduce products to new customers within the state via instant delivery.

“As a customer-focused business, we are delighted to partner with Gopuff given their extraordinary commitment to the customer experience,” said Jonathan Blue, chairman of Louisville, Ky.-based Blue Equity and Liquor Barn. “Through this partnership, we will continue to deliver beer, wine and spirits and will add thousands of new items that our customers need in everyday life. We are excited to join Gopuff in their mission and forge the future of the instant-needs category together. The Liquor Barn team has built a trusted, strong brand, and Gopuff is the ideal partner to bolster the business into this next era of growth and meet customers’ evolving needs. We look forward to working closely with Gopuff as we integrate Liquor Barn into their business and serving as strategic advisors on alcohol-related initiatives.”

The Liquor Barn, Party Mart and DEP’s footprint of 23 stores provides infrastructure for Gopuff to integrate into its network of micro-fulfillment centers. Gopuff and Blue Equity will work in partnership to integrate Liquor Barn’s customer loyalty, talent, industry expertise, and convenient locations with Gopuff’s assortment of everyday essentials and technology-enabled instant delivery.

Philadelphia-based Gopuff currently operates more than 450 sites, including more than 275 micro-fulfillment centers and185-plus recently acquired BevMo!, Fancy and Liquor Barn locations. The company said on March 23 that it had secured $1.15 billion in new funding, more than doubling its valuation to $8.9 billion in just five months.