To the Australian bar industry, James France, Managing Director of Vanguard Luxury Brands needs little introduction. Among his many attributes, the independent importer and distributor of coveted premium spirits (and the occasional banana flask) is one of the most respected and likeable people in the industry.
On 15 May 2008, ten years ago today, Vanguard Luxury Brands made its first sale. On this momentous tenth anniversary, it gives us great pleasure to present our interview with James France where he reflects on the early years, the growth of Vanguard’s portfolio and his insights for enduring success.
Can you tell us how Vanguard Luxury Brands was born 10 years ago.
I’d been in the liquor industry for over 15 years at that point. Six of those years were in New York where I saw a great number of premium spirits that simply weren’t available here. Outside of Melbourne there were no small bars, but I had a feeling that the market would respond to premium spirit brands that people had seen or heard of overseas.
What did you do prior to forming the company?
I started out originally with Unilever in a marketing capacity. Then a short stint at Philips electronics. I saw an ad in the paper for a Senior Brand Manager and it turned out to be with Swift & Moore, working on Kahlua and later Jack Daniel’s. I got the job and it was the best company I ever worked for. That led me to working with what is now Diageo in the US, working on J&B. After three years there I moved to Remy Cointreau USA where I launched Don Julio tequila in the US, as well as having Mount Gay and the Edrington whiskies in my portfolio. Amazing brands. The Don Julio launch meant several trips to Mexico including many meetings and lunches with Don Julio himself and that’s where I fell in love with premium tequila.
Upon returning to Australia in 2000, I started importing Herradura and El Jimador and then went to work for McWilliam’s Wines following some consulting I did for them. I took Herradura and El Jimador with me into McWilliam’s and later added Ketel One and Hendrick’s. We had a great spirits portfolio by then but sadly they went away: Herradura sold to Brown-Forman, Ketel One partnered up with Diageo and the writing was on the wall with Hendrick’s going to Suntory (prior to William Grant starting their own company here). McWilliam’s then decided to move back away from spirits and re-focus on wines. It’s a wine company after all. So I left on very good terms and started Vanguard.
Did you have a small team when you started or did you do everything yourself?
I did absolutely everything myself for the first three years or so: sales, finance, logistics, marketing. Everything. I’d travel around the country with this massive custom-made display suitcase (click to view suitcase). It weighed 27 kilos when full! What a monster, but it made an impression. Sometimes I’d go 2 or 3 days without a single sale and I’d hit the Yellow Pages and call random places all over Australia trying to get a sale. I spent a lot of time and money sending tasting samples around the place too.
Tell us about your team and how it has grown over the years
Gradually I started to add part-time sales people like Natalie Ng, Mitch Bushell and Dan Roche. Such legends! Dan is still with us at Vanguard and is our longest-serving team member. He’ll be up for long service leave before too long! Then I got some admin help in the form of Kim Brill and gradually added additional full-time staff to assist across all facets of the business. We’re now a team of 15 fantastic people and very few have left us over the years.
What was the first brand that put Vanguard on the map?
Our first major brand was St-Germain. Suddenly we were taken a bit more seriously.
How has Vanguard’s portfolio grown over the years?
It has grown enormously. We now have just under 30 brands. We’ve lost a few and dropped a few along the way, but the core of the portfolio has remained largely the same. There were one or two stunning failures as well! It’s great that our top sellers are both Australian: Four Pillars and Mr Black.
Looking back, has there been one highlight or a story that stands out?
Winning the ALIA award twice for On-premise Supplier Of The Year would be highlights for me. There are so many great stories, because everyone in our team is a bloody legend. I sincerely mean that. They all do so much for Vanguard and I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people; not only sales people but also the all-important people we have in admin, accounts and operations.
What do you know today that you wish you knew 10 years ago?
I wish I knew more about running a business back then. I came from a marketing background which is great, but it doesn’t prepare you for all the infinite detail of the other aspects of the business. Starting a business is like having children: it costs way more than you think it might in terms of money and time, but the rewards are more than you can imagine.
What advice or tips for success would you give someone starting in this field?
Be prepared to put in a crazy amount of hours. Listen to your customers; don’t talk over them. Keep your promises. Know your market. Research your brands before taking them on. And most importantly, surround yourself with people you respect and like. Don’t work with them if you don’t feel compatibility with them – even if they might be great at their jobs. This applies not only to your own team, but everyone in the chain from suppliers right through to customers. Keep it fun! Life is too short to have to work with dickheads.
Looking into the crystal ball, what’s ahead for Vanguard Luxury Brands?
Things change all the time in this business. One thing is for certain: this industry is extremely fluid…
We will keep on building our existing brands rather than buying market share. I’d love to develop a couple of our own brands in the coming years. But most importantly, we’ll keep it fun whatever we do.
In partnership with Vanguard Luxury Brands.
Photo Credit: Supplied
