In May 2009, the Rīga Spirits & Wine Outlet was opened on the ground floor of the former Hull Shop in Andrejsala (see map, item #11). The outlet has expanded noticeably over the years, gaining the reputation of the city's best place to go for European and Latvian beer as well as many world-famous beverages. 

Beer and soft drinks are sold at very friendly prices here. ‘The main idea of our outlet is to offer our customers drinks at reasonable prices that are definitely lower than those in a supermarket,’ explains Andris Lūkins, chairman of the outlet’s executive board.

The outlet is mostly targeted at tourists that come to Rīga by boat since it is only a couple of minutes of walk away from Rīga's passenger harbour. ‘There are about ten such outlets operating successfully near the Tallinn harbour, while the number of those in Germany cannot be counted,’ says Lūkins, an experienced alcohol seller. ‘Before opening this outlet here in Andrejsala, we visited Tallinn and a few urban harbours in Germany, so we too decided to give it a try.’ Historically, Rīga has always been an harbour town, and pioneering into outlet business is a good thing for Andrejsala.

The outlet premises were formerly used for various cultural and artistic events such as exhibitions, theatre performances, Andrejdiena celebrations and other public happenings. Back then, one would probably fail to predict that it would make the perfect location for a drinks outlet. As you know, though, everything changes. ‘We were looking for a place near the harbour, one that could be easily reached by car, bus or foot. Many Swedish tourists enjoy shopping here while their bus is parked right at the door so they don’t have to carry all the goods to the boat,’ Lūkins continues. They seem to be most fond of stronger spirits and wine that comes in bags-in-boxes, probably owing to the longer consumption term after opening. To the surprise of Swedish customers, Andrejsala’s outlet offers Spendrups beer at about 50% its price in their homeland.

On weekdays and Saturdays, The Rīga Spirits & Wine Outlet is open from 10 am to 8 pm; on Sundays, the hours are from 10 am to 6 pm.