Twenty-one locals have been employed to work at the store which will operate seven days a week.

It opened yesterday and Mr Lowndes said it was flat out.

“First Choice Liquor has come to town to offer a good shopping experience for the customers,” he said yesterday.

“We are employing 21 local people and that’s important because we’re focused on the local community and I’m a local myself, I’ve been here all my life.”

Mr Lowndes said more than 4000 products were on offer at the 900 square metre store on the corner of Eighth Street and Pine Avenue.

“First Choice is a business that offers great prices and a great range,” he said.

“We’ve got something for everybody, all local wines, Mildura Brewery beers, a range of imported wines and also a very large range of premium wines and a large range of spirits that you don’t normally see around town.

“I think Mildura has probably been crying out for this, it’s definitely something people always talk about having up here.”

The bottleshop will operate between 9am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and between 10am and 7pm on Sunday.

This article appeared in Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily 04/02/2012.