On Ras Lulseged Street, one of the oldest streets in Addis Abeba, sits one of the oldest buildings in the country, most famously known as Tamama Fok, "the slanted building." The building, true to its name, does look like it is slanted to the side.

Built in 1972 and officially named Progress Building, it is slanting tall and strong to this day and is now housing the newest business venture in the city. A big new sign that reads "One Stop Beverage Shop" adorns the entryway to the first glass-panelled floor. The entire first floor, previously used as a showroom for cars, has given way to shelves displaying a multitude of beverage products.

Owned by Electrocommercial S.C., the shop that opened up two weeks ago was incepted nearly nine months back by Roberto Gabresi, an Ethiopian of Italian origin. This newly renovated store is bringing beverage brands of all kinds under one roof to the customer. It is not just that the store provides a variety of brands to its customers that makes it special, it is also the nature in which it has done so.

While walking through the doors, the ergonomic set-up of the venue guides the customer to make a trip throughout the store before reaching the cashier and paying their bills, walking through sections representing different brands, from Coca-Cola to recent additions to the market like Anbessa Beer.

The sections are divided by the brand they are assigned to with the aesthetic and products of each company beckoning customers over. Companies like Habesha Brewery, have decked out their corner with the traditional Ethiopian setup; wooden and leather-bound chairs, a traditional basket cover hangs on the wall and a mural painting of its most iconic representation - the Habesha face with the Afro.

It is not just Habesha Beer that has made its mark on the place. Brands like BGI, Diageo and Coca-Cola are already in the mix, while Awash Winery and Dashen Beer will shortly join the ranks.

"It all started with a few text messages that I sent to representatives of different brands, all of which had instant positive feedback," said Roberto, Electrocommercial's shareholder and managing director.

Some have finalised their display designs, while others, like Anbessa Beer, expect to complete their display in no more than two weeks. It is the first time that competing brands have come together to work under one roof without claims to exclusivity.

Roberto says that this new venture was a child of necessity.

"With our former business of importing vehicles and electronic equipment becoming more and more difficult," he said, "we had to come up with a new business model to supplement the income of the business."

Electrocommercial was first established nearly six decades ago by Rizzo Sperandio, who first came to Ethiopia in the 1930s seeking business opportunities in the country.

Under Electrocommercial, Rizzo went on to open up Akaki Metalworks, Kaliti Metal Works, Ethioplastic and Ethiosidar and built the Progress and Finfine buildings. These were all later nationalised by the government in 1974, and the family found itself left with only Electrocommercial S.C. overnight. Despite their losses, the business continued and later started importing cars and electrical equipment.

Electrocommercial, which also owns Origin Water, has since then faced difficulties.

"It has become tough to get foreign exchange in the last three to four years, so we've had to be innovative in our approach," he said. "As an alternative, we now buy vehicles and equipment whenever there are auctions by the Customs Authority here and recently this new business venture."

The new business has also brought solutions to different partnering brands, because it fits with different goals they are working to achieve.

For companies like Anbessa Beer, which rolled out its products last May, it is a good business platform with low costs, according to Ameha Mesfin, the company's channel marketing manager.

"Most places have an exclusivity deal, so it's hard to penetrate places like that," said Ameha. "Additionally, we pay exorbitant prices for exhibition centres, and here it's a free opportunity to market our competitively priced products."

Even brands like Coca-Cola, which marked 60 years last January since it began operations in the country, have found it winning in terms of its ingenuity.