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Winebuys.com Becomes First Major Online Wine Retailer to Offer Everyday Free Shipping; New Business Model Includes Free FedEx Ground for All $25+ Orders
[January 06, 2005]

Winebuys.com Becomes First Major Online Wine Retailer to Offer Everyday Free Shipping; New Business Model Includes Free FedEx Ground for All $25+ Orders


SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Jan. 6, 2005 -- Winebuys.com -- the first major online retailer to offer everyday discounts up to 50 percent on its entire selection of handpicked fine wines -- is now the first to offer everyday free FedEx Ground shipping on all orders of $25 or more.



"Free shipping is an expensive proposition, especially when we're talking about wine," said Mr. Hal Gershman, CEO of Winebuys.com. "But for us, everyday free FedEx is a natural extension of our customer-friendly business model which provides top-notch wines at unbeatable prices, together with exceptional customer service. Since repeat customers constitute a huge portion of our business, free shipping is also a great way to show our appreciation for their loyalty."

2004 was a year of growth and progress for Winebuys.com. Celebrating its first anniversary in September 2004, Winebuys recently launched a redesigned website -- http://www.winebuys.com -- with many features found at no other wine retailer's website. "Customers love our new Search by Taste and Search by Food Pairing features," said Mr. Gershman. "Each wine is profiled using attractive searchable icons -- such as full-bodied, ripe fruit, clean and crisp, smooth, and more -- and is also profiled by whatever foods it best complements. Our data shows these features to be an important part of our customers' purchasing decisions."


Industry Leaders Drive Success of Winebuys.com Team

The Winebuys.com team is comprised of professionals with a vast range of talent and expertise in both Napa Valley and Silicon Valley. The company's principal investors are Hal Gershman and Charles Sonnenberg. Mr. Gershman, CEO, is also current President of The Wine & Spirits Guild of America, and Mr. Sonnenberg, Sr. VP, is the Guild's past President. The Guild's membership represents some 40 exclusive wine and spirits retailers; combined, they own 640 stores with an annual sales volume of $1.5 billion. Mr. Gershman has twice been named "One of America's Top 10 Retailers" by Beverage Dynamics magazine and was named by Market Watch as a "Leader of Excellence."

About Winebuys.com LLC

Winebuys.com is the first major retailer to offer everyday discounts of up to 50 percent on its entire inventory of fine wines. The site -- http://www.winebuys.com -- provides both serious and casual wine drinkers with high-quality wine selections and helpful information, in a friendly, accessible, and amusing manner. Fine wines at extraordinary discounts, free shipping with every $25+ order, free tasting notes with every order, and a Love-It-Or-Your-Money-Back guarantee, are all hallmarks of Winebuys.com's unique approach to selling wine. Based near San Francisco, Winebuys.com currently serves consumers in the following "reciprocity" states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin; plus Hawaii via FedEx air service at standard rates. Wine accessories are shipped to all states.

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