Total Wine & More facts for kids

Retail Services & Systems, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1991; 34 years ago (1991) (as Liquor World) Claymont, Delaware, U.S.
Founders	David Trone Robert Trone
Headquarters	North Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Number of locations	210 stores (2020)
Products	Wine, spirits, beer, cigars, gifts, accessories
Number of employees	7,000+ (estimated)

Total Wine & More is a large, family-owned store chain in America. It sells many kinds of drinks for adults, along with cigars and gifts. Brothers David and Robert Trone started and still lead the company.

Total Wine & More has won awards like "Retailer of the Year." Market Watch gave it this award in 2006. Beverage Dynamics honored the company in 2008. Wine Enthusiast Magazine also recognized them in 2004 and 2014. The company's main office is in North Bethesda, Maryland.

How Total Wine & More Started

The company's story began in 1985. David Trone and his family opened stores in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These stores were called Beer and Pop Warehouse, and later Beer World.

In 1991, David and Robert Trone opened their first store. It was a small shop called Liquor World in Claymont, Delaware. Soon after, they opened a second store in Milltown, Delaware. Liquor World grew steadily throughout the 1990s. It expanded to many places along the East Coast.

In 1998, the Trone brothers bought a store chain called Total Beverage. This chain was located near Washington, D.C. They liked the name "Total" and changed their company's name to Total Wine & More. The company continued to grow. In 2005, Total Wine opened stores in Florida. Then, in 2007, they expanded to California and Arizona.

By January 2022, Total Wine & More had 229 stores. These stores were located in 27 different states. The company also sells products online in 14 states. These are states where selling drinks for adults online is allowed.

How the Business Works

Total Wine & More is run by a company called Retail Services and Systems. The stores are known for having a huge selection of products. They also try to offer good prices.

Each Total Wine store is very big. It usually has about 8,000 different kinds of wines. They also offer 3,000 types of spirits (where allowed by law). Plus, there are 2,500 different beers. You can also find accessories, gifts, and cigars in their stores.

In 2018, the company had around 7,000 employees. About 500 people worked at their main office in Bethesda, Maryland. They also had 800 special wine experts in their stores.

Total Wine helps its customers learn more about their products. They offer special guides for wine, beer, and spirits. They also have loyalty programs in different store locations. These programs give special benefits to regular customers.

Helping the Community

Total Wine & More believes in giving back. For more than 20 years, the company has supported many charities. These include local, regional, and national groups. They have given over $100 million in donations and help.

In 2018 alone, the company said it donated over $9 million. This money went to more than 13,000 organizations. These groups were in 23 different states.

Total Wine received an award in 2014 for its community service. It was the Market Watch Award for Community Service. This award came from Market Watch, a magazine for the adult beverage industry. Marvin Shanken, an editor at Wine Spectator, praised the company. He said David and Robert Trone put a lot of effort and money into helping their communities.

Learning About Products

Total Wine offers many ways for customers to learn. They can learn more about the wines, beers, and spirits sold in the stores. Each store often hosts weekly tastings. They also have special events and classes. Here, customers can learn from experts. These experts include winemakers and brew masters. This is allowed by different state laws.

Total Wine also started live virtual tastings. Famous winemakers host these from their vineyards. The tastings are shown live in Total Wine's classrooms.

The company also provides "Education Centers." These are meeting spaces in many stores. Local businesses, clubs, and groups can use these rooms for free. Over 60 Total Wine stores have these centers. Each room is private and set up for meetings. The stores also offer a free 30-minute wine tasting for attendees. This is also allowed by state laws.

Adam Strum, who leads Wine Enthusiast, spoke about Total Wine. He said they focus on teaching their customers. He also noted they spend a lot of time training their employees. He believes this is a big reason for their success.