Aldi in Cooma opened a new liquor section at the end of January. It will now be able to compete against Coles and Woolworths - although Aldi says it has only a small range of products in comparison.

The success of the Cooma operation is likely to be watched closely by Coles and Woolworths and analysed by Aldi ahead of a rollout in other stores.

The opening of the liquor department – in a small, separate section of the Cooma store – follows applications by Aldi in March last year to the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to sell alcohol in all of its 102 stores across NSW.

The application process was lengthy and has resulted in the Cooma store becoming the trailblazer for the rest of the state. Other locations will begin to sell alcohol progressively.

Aldi has been selling liquor in Victoria and Canberra for more than seven years offering varieties of non-refrigerated beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits, many of which are Aldi brand. The prices are highly competitive.

Aldi becomes at least the 12th liquor outlet in Cooma to sell take-away alcohol (including pubs and clubs).

The company said it was selling alcohol in response to consumer demand, and many customers had previously visited stores in Canberra to buy alcohol. Customer response in Cooma had been overwhelmingly positive.

Aldi said it took its responsibilities to local communities seriously and had a proven track record of selling the product responsibly.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “The Aldi approach to marketing of alcohol is conservative and restrained. Unlike the major market players, Aldi does not participate in ‘2 for 1’ or quantity based promotional discounts.

“Aldi will join Local Liquor Accords in each area. Liquor Accords are voluntary industry-based partnerships working in local communities to introduce practical solutions to liquor-related problems.

“The Aldi concept is very small compared to traditional bottle shops and is tiny in comparison to the large format stores owned by the major supermarket chains.

ALDI only sells a small range of products (less than 100 items), and our stores are not open as late as regular bottle shops.”