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.