Geerlings & Wade - Cutting Through the Vines (2,787 words)

Geerlings & Wade, which went public in 1994, measures its growth in part by the size of its last-12-month buyer base: In 1991, the company had 10,000 last-12-month buyers; at the end of 1999, it had 135,000. Furthermore, the annual number of cases sold has risen from 31,000 cases in 1991 to 365,000 cases in 1999. CEO David Pearce attributes the company's growth to both the expansion into new states by opening licensed retail facilities, and strong direct mail and catalog efforts.