In episode 333 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Joe Fisch, CEO and chief financial officer of Wine Access, a leading direct-to-consumer wine retailer best known for offering exclusive, carefully selected wines from around the world. Fisch discusses the Wine Access business and product offerings, his professional background that led him to join the retailer, and the factors that spurred the business' double-digit growth in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He shares how daily operations changed as consumer demand surged, how Wine Access expanded its sourcing regions to keep up with demand for its wines, and how it's converting first-time customers into repeat buyers.

In addition, Fisch discusses Wine Access' recent naming by The New York Times as the No. 1 Wine Club in the U.S., why product transparency is key to customer trust, and the wide spectrum of demographics the business serves. He shares the challenges around shipping alcohol, how Wine Access handles demand surges in its supply chain, and the growth of its corporate gifting sales. Lastly, he details what he's focused on to sustain growth in 2022.

Joe Fisch has over 11 years of experience in leading and advising retail and consumer companies to improve their financial growth strategy and planning process. Joe was previously the director of finance at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Prior to Ghirardelli, Joe, a CPA in California, spent seven years at PwC in both the M&A advisory and audit practices. Since joining Wine Access in April 2017, Joe has played a key role in rightsizing the company’s capital and cost structure while building out the corporate development program. In August 2018, Joe was promoted to CEO.