Bacardi Opens Concept Store in Nassau

Hershey’s, Apple and Nike all have stores to showcase their brand and products. Now Bacardi will have one, too. Thursday’s grand opening of the Bacardi store in downtown Nassau is the first of its kind in the spirits industry. The store sells all the Bacardi portfolio of brands, plus a variety of branded accessories never available to the public in an independent retail store.

‘‘This is a way that people can interact with the company and learn about the brand in a different way then just going up to a bar and ordering a rum and Coke,’’ said Joaquin Bacardi, president and chief executive officer of Bacardi Corporation in Puerto Rico, who manages the operations of the entire Caribbean region.

Brand concept stores, which have been around for years in other retail segments, have grown in popularity as a way to make a direct connection with the consumer. Ultimately, those kind of connections help to build brand loyalty.

While the bright red exterior of the two-story store features the Bacardi name and the trademark bat, the selection inside will also include both spirits and accessories from Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Dewar’s Scotch whiskey, Cazadores tequila and other Bacardi-owned brands.