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Pennsylvania’s Privatization Battle For The State’s Liquor Stores Continue

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State Rep. John Payne, R-Derry Twp plans to introduce a bill to allow the the state’s 1200 beer distributors to apply for a free permit to carry wine and spirits at your local beer distributor. Permits to wholesalers would cost $50 million. Payne’s proposal in the debate on privatization of the state’s liquor stores would leave the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirit stores intact. For more on the debate read: Pennlive.com: Wine and Spirits At Beer Distributors?

Beer, Wine & Spirit Producers Fight Back Petitioning Congress To Reject HR1161.

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The wine wars continue.

Members of the Beer, Wine & Spirit Industry joined together recently to urge members of Congress to oppose the “Community Alchohol Regulatory Effectiveness” Act of 2011 (CARE), the legislation (H.R. 1161) sponsored by the wholesellers tier of the Alcohol Beverage Industry.

Wine America, The Brewers Association, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Wine Institute, Beer Institute, and the National Association of Beverage Importers strongly oppose H.R 1161. In their recent letter to Congress, the producers stated “We strongly oppose H.R. 1161, which like its predecessor in the last Congress, is unnecessary. Its provisions would harm consumers and the marketplace, limit consumer choice, and allow states to enact protectionist and anti-competitive laws. It this bill becomes law, it would make it much harder for brewers, vintners, distillers, and importors to get their products to market.”

To view the entire letter, read here.

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Proposes To Modernize It’s System Of Wine and Liquor Sales

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Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board officials advocated modernization changes today as it faces the threat of privatization by Gov. Tom Corbett and others to privatize the system.

The changes were discussed today at a state Senate appropriations hearing. The proposed changes include:

–Increasing Sunday store closing hours from noon until (currently 5pm) 7 or 8 pm

–Erasing the state’s current limit of only allowing 25% of the stores open on Sunday

–Allowing direct shipment of wine/liquor from out of state online retailers to go direct
to Pennsylvania households versus the current practice of state store product pickup.

–Varying the standard 30% markup on all wine and spirits sold in the stores.

For more on this read: LCB Proposes Changes To Stave Off Privatization

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds The Sale Of Beer At Wegmans Stores

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This week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court potentially opened the door for beer sales at supermarkets and big retailers. The seven justices found in a unanimous decision that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board properly granted licenses to Wegmans Food Market Inc. to sell beer at eating areas in its supermarkets. For more information read The Philadelphia Inquirer’s: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds Beer Sales At Wegmans Store.