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At 34, this tireless jersey city entrepreneur runs one of largest wine and liquor stores in the nation

by JENNIFER VIKSE • Photos by Doug Polle

Having grown up in the liquor business, Adithya Bathena, at 34 years old, is already changing the face of the liquor retail industry in New Jersey.

Bathena is the President of the Super Buy-Rite Wines & Liquor franchise, an achievement he has been working toward since he and his parents immigrated to The Garden State from India when he was just ten years old.

“This is the business they got into,” recalled Bathena. At ten, he would stock shelves and put up beer displays, then in high school took on more responsibility as a cashier. At 23, he was second in command to his father, who had purchased the Buy Right Liquor Franchise in New Jersey in 1997 (Buy Right now has more than 50 such franchises in the state).

After graduating from Rutgers University and earning a master’s degree in real estate finance at New York University, Bathena worked at Johnson & Johnson, but his career path eventually took him back home.

“Over time, I became disenchanted with corporate America to an extent,” he recalled. “And my mom was ill, so I came home and started working with my dad at 22. He was taking care of my mom—going back and forth to the hospital, and I started taking over at twenty-three.”

The family currently owns and operates three stores in New Jersey, and has plans for three more. The newest location in Monmouth County is in Holmdel, right on Route 35 by A&P. “Hopefully, the Monmouth County market accepts us,” he said, noting that the newest store, formerly a wine retailer, is practically in his backyard.

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Bathena’s biggest project, however, is in Jersey City. “I opened a store and took the franchise to another level,” he said. “This is where I made my mark.”

His “mark” is a 30,000-square-foot store in Jersey City, Super Buy Rite Wines & Liquors—one of the largest in both the state and the nation—where small store customer service meets the discount pricing of a big box store.

“From day one, service was absolutely critical to us,” noted Bathena. “Even though it’s a big box location, we try to run it like a mom & pop store. We know our customers’ names, we greet them. Service comes first or it’s very difficult to make it.”

While Bathena calls customer service the “very essence of retailing,” he said that he is also committed to growing what his father started.

“What I am doing is my father’s vision, just adding to it,” he explained. “Here we are 25 years later; basically, I went to the next level.”

And Bathena is happy to have his father still involved. “When we open a new store, he gets involved in the construction, the build out,” he explained. “I handle marketing, staffing…things like that. We share responsibilities. I’m involved in the day-to-day management.”

Being at the helm of a franchise while having responsibility for families real estate holdings is no easy feat, let alone for the father of a toddler.

“The last year has been challenging, trying to find that balance of work and life with kids,” he confessed. “Luckily, my schedule is flexible. I’m not tied down to a 9-to-5.” What does a typical day look like for a principal of the liquor and wine industry?

“It’s not boring. Every day you get something thrown at you that you did not expect,” Bathena quipped. “I’m pretty much always on. I try to go to bed by eleven or twelve, but I check email all the time.”

“Every day is a little bit different,” he said. “Besides running stores and the corporate part of the franchise, I’m also involved in real estate, and when an issue pops up with the latter, you have to send someone to go take a look. That part of the business is always an adventure.”

On the corporate side of things, Bathena keeps it interesting by looking for new products to please his customers, from the traditional selections to craft beers and spirits. “I’m always looking at new products, looking for good deals…negotiating for the stores,” he said.

Super Buy-Rite Wines & Spirits
575 Manila Ave., Jersey City / 201.239.1200 / buyritewines.com