Bottle King

What Bottle King does

Bottle King is a privately held, New Jersey-based specialty alcohol retailer founded in 1996 by Kenneth Friedman, who continues to serve as Founder and CEO. The company self-describes as the largest retailer of wine, beer, and spirits in New Jersey, operating a multi-channel model that combines physical retail stores, an e-commerce website (bottleking.com), native iOS and Android mobile applications, and a direct delivery service with defined operating hours. The product catalog spans four main categories — wines (organized by style, varietal, country, and region, sourced from 13+ countries), beers and seltzers (craft, IPA, lager, stout, and more from 25+ countries), spirits (bourbon, tequila, vodka, gin, scotch, whiskey, rum, cognac, mezcal, RTD cocktails, and others), and ancillary items such as mixers, coffee, pasta sauce, chips, and candy — with pricing from sub-$15 value SKUs to $237+ premium champagne.

The business is powered by the City Hive commerce platform, which handles e-commerce storefronts and store operations; no proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical retail plus owned digital channels (website, mobile app, delivery), supported by organic social media presence on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and an in-store free wine tasting program designed to drive foot traffic and customer engagement. Revenue mechanics are pure one-time retail transactions across a high-volume, long-tail consumer base, with no enterprise or B2B customers, no subscription or recurring revenue model, and no disclosed funding, M&A, or ownership structure beyond independent private ownership.

The company operates exclusively within New Jersey, with the flagship/headquarters store at 476 New Jersey 17, Ramsey, NJ, and a reported headcount of 251-500 employees. No financial data (revenue, profitability, funding) is publicly disclosed, and there is no evidence of recent M&A, leadership changes, restructuring, or geographic expansion beyond the home state, although third-party shipping via The Wine Buyer extends reach outside New Jersey in a limited capacity.

Name

Bottle King

Legal name

Bottle King

Website

https://bottleking.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Bottle King is a privately held New Jersey-based specialty alcohol retailer, founded in 1996 and self-described as NJ's largest wine, beer, and spirits retailer, operating physical stores alongside e-commerce, mobile apps, and a direct delivery service for individual adult consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alcoholic Beverage Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquor Stores (General Off-Premise) (CRANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Beer Retail (Bottle Shops & Beer Merchants) (CRANABAC), Spirits Retail & Whiskey Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAD)

Keywords

• Wine retail
• Spirits retailer
• Beer retailer
• Alcoholic beverages
• Liquor store

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Alcohol Sales: Direct retail sales of wine, beer, spirits, and related products through physical stores and e-commerce platform. One-time transaction model for individual purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bottle King is a New Jersey-based retail chain self-described as the state's largest retailer of wine, beer, and spirits. It sells wines, beers, seltzers, spirits, and complementary snacks/mixers through physical retail storefronts in New Jersey, an e-commerce website (bottleking.com), native iOS and Android mobile apps, and an in-house delivery service. The assortment spans budget to premium price points across 13+ wine-producing countries and 25+ beer-producing countries.

Product overview

Bottle King is a New Jersey-based retail chain operating as the state's largest retailer of wine, beer, and spirits. The company offers a comprehensive e-commerce platform powered by City Hive, featuring an extensive product catalog across four main categories: Wines (including Red, White, Rose, Sparkling, Dessert, Sake, and Organic varieties), Beers and Seltzers (Craft Beer, IPA, Lager, Stout, and more), Spirits (Bourbon, Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Scotch, and others), and Snacks & Chips. The business operates as a physical retail chain with an online shopping platform, mobile applications for iOS and Android, delivery services, and in-store wine tasting events. The product portfolio is organized by varietal, country of origin, region, and price point, with filtering capabilities for organic, kosher, and other specialty categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wines Extensive retail selection of wines including Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling, Dessert, Sake, and Organic varieties, organized by style, varietal (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Red Blends, Riesling, Merlot, Moscato, Tempranillo, Zinfandel), country (13+ countries including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, US, Uruguay), and region (e.g., Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa Valley, Champagne, Tuscany, Rioja, Sonoma Valley). Sold to adult consumers for personal consumption via Bottle King's NJ stores, website, mobile app, and delivery.
• Beers and Seltzers Wide retail range of beers including Craft Beer, IPA, Lager, Stout, Wheat, Pilsner, Cider, Fruit Beer, Kölsch, Sour, Hard Seltzer, and Non-Alcoholic options. Organized by type, country (25+ countries including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, UK, US), and US state. Sold to adult consumers via Bottle King's NJ stores, website, mobile app, and delivery.
• Spirits Full retail selection of spirits including Bourbon, Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Rum, Brandy, Cognac, Liqueur, Mezcal, Soju, Vermouth, Ready-to-Drink cocktails, and other liquors. Organized by type, country (Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Scotland, UK, US), and US state. Sold to adult consumers via Bottle King's NJ stores, website, mobile app, and delivery.
• Snacks and Mixers Ancillary retail assortment of food and beverage items offered alongside alcoholic beverages, including Illy Coffee, Rao's Pasta Sauce, Mixers, Sodas, Chips, and Candy. Sold to adult consumers via Bottle King's NJ stores and supporting channels to complement beverage purchases.
• Free In-Store Wine Tastings In-store wine-tasting events hosted at Bottle King locations in New Jersey. Offered free of charge to drive customer engagement and product discovery for adult consumers.
• Bottle King Mobile App Native mobile shopping application for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) enabling adult consumers to browse Bottle King's inventory, place orders, and manage their accounts from mobile devices.
• Delivery and Shipping Service Bottle King's in-house delivery service with scheduled hours of 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday-Saturday and 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Sundays, plus third-party shipping arranged through The Wine Buyer. Provides adult consumers in New Jersey with home delivery of wines, beers, spirits, and ancillary items purchased via Bottle King's website or mobile app.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BevMo!: Multi-state specialty off-premise alcohol retailer operating in the western U.S., offering comparable wine, beer, and spirits selection with strong in-store experience. Closely aligned retail model with Bottle King's omnichannel approach.
• Wine.com: Largest U.S. online wine retailer with broad assortment and national shipping. Overlaps directly with Bottle King's e-commerce wine offering and represents online-only competition in NJ.
• Total Wine & More: Multi-state specialty off-premise alcohol retailer with stores across the U.S., including presence near NJ. Same core proposition as Bottle King (broad wine/beer/spirits assortment at competitive prices) but with vastly greater scale and buying power.

Broad incumbents

• Costco Wholesale (Alcohol category): Big-box membership warehouse retailer with an aggressive alcohol program (especially wine and spirits). Represents pricing pressure and convenience competition for NJ consumers who might otherwise shop Bottle King.

Regional players

• Astor Wines & Spirits: Long-standing NY-based wine and spirits retailer combining physical storefront with strong e-commerce and delivery. Comparable broad assortment and customer experience, though based in neighboring NY metro.
• Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods: Large regional off-premise alcohol and gourmet retailer in Texas with a similar broad-category, multi-store format. Comparable assortment strategy and food/beverage pairing approach as Bottle King.
• ABC Fine Wine & Spirits: Florida's largest privately held wine and spirits retailer with deep assortment and store presence. Operates a similar neighborhood retail + broad selection model to Bottle King but in a different geography.
• Sherry-Lehmann: Iconic NYC-based wine and spirits shop with strong e-commerce and historical premium positioning. Adjacent competitor with similar experiential and assort depth focus to Bottle King's premium tier.

Emerging players

• ReserveBar: Premium online spirits and wine retailer with national shipping and gifting focus. Direct competition in the high-end spirits segment that Bottle King carries, especially through digital channels.
• Drizly (Uber): On-demand alcohol delivery marketplace serving NJ, aggregating liquor-store inventory including Bottle King's competitors. Threatens Bottle King's narrow delivery window with on-demand convenience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NJBottleKing
• Facebookfacebook.com/bottlekingnj
• Instagraminstagram.com/njbottleking
• TikToktiktok.com/@njbottleking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bottle King