The Beer Store’s Post

KC: A Great Place for the Liquor Business! Kansas City is on the map for the liquor industry, and it’s easy to see why. With our central location and top-notch distribution network, KC is the perfect hub for getting products to market across the country. Plus, the city’s food and beverage scene are booming, with nearly 27,000 people working in breweries, distilleries, and liquor stores. What’s really exciting is how tech is mixing with tradition here. With big players like Google investing heavily in the area, there’s a lot of innovation happening. Whether it’s improving distribution with data or spicing up marketing strategies, there’s so much potential for growth. So, if you’re in the liquor business or thinking about jumping in, Kansas City is definitely the place to be right now. Lots of room to grow, great community, and endless opportunities to tap into! #KansasCity #LiquorIndustry #CraftSpirits #BusinessGrowth #DistributionHub #Innovation

ORHMA WIN - LCBO will be the Exclusive Wholesaler for all Retail, Bars & Restaurants Government Announcement MAY 27, 2024 - Beginning in 2026, the LCBO will become the exclusive wholesaler for all retailers, bars and restaurants selling alcohol. This will include licensed bars and restaurants transitioning to order all alcohol, including beer, from LCBO’s online ordering process. To facilitate a safe, stable, and predictable transition to the new marketplace, The Beer Store will maintain its role wholesaling to bars, restaurants, and southern LCBO Convenience Outlets until 2026. ORHMA applauds this announcement, as we have been advocating with the Ministry of Finance to address the challenges faced by the foodservice industry and support our members in developing a stronger business model. Under the current alcohol purchasing system, our members have incurred higher operational costs. We will continue to collaborate with the government to advocate for the issues that matter most to you! #governmentadvocacy #LCBO #ORHMAWIN #MOF #alcohol #beer

♻ We have released a new report in conjunction with Canadian Beverage Association demonstrating that extending Ontario's deposit-return system to include non-alcoholic beverage containers is the most effective way to increase rates and reach the collection goal of 90%. ✔ The report’s findings show that leveraging The Beer Store’s collection system and having grocery stores and other retail locations take back empty beverage containers will create a system that can achieve a recovery rate of over 89% and deliver a collection location for roughly every 1,600 Ontarians. This system would also include limited depot collection in high-volume locations. The net-cost of this system is estimated to be $190 million and would be funded by the beverage industry. Read the full report link below 👇 #DRS #recycling

As part of the new Ontario government push to get beer and wine into corner convenience and grocery stores, The Beer Store may disappear from the retail landscape entirely retail analysts speculate. The Beer Store currently has 440 stores across the province and has to keep at least 386 stores open until July 1, 2025. From July 1, 2025 through the end of that year, they have to keep at least 300 open. The following year? There’s no minimum store count mandated by government nor the store operation. #beer #retailleasing #storeclosings

We're thrilled to share an exciting expansion in collaboration with Waitrose & Partners who are exclusively launching bottles of our Small Beer Stout across 200 stores from late-May; front-footing the shift in consumer drinking behaviours as they further double-down on the demand for mid-strength. Jourdan Gabbini, Beer & Cider Buyer at Waitrose, said: "Given the growth of stout as a beer style in the market, for me, Small Beer is the perfect NPD as it helps to address increased customer demand at the same time as supporting moderation, which we know is something on customers minds, whilst offering genuine differentiation that meets an unmet customer need state in both Waitrose and the wider market." Small Beer Stout is a beautifully-balanced example of the style, brewed to our signature mid-strength ABV; it is packed with rich coffee, dark chocolate and toasted notes from the West Country chocolate and black malt. Waitrose is also introducing Small Beer Pale in a new six-pack format. Our Small Beer Pale has been carried on shelf as a single unit since Summer 2020 with the increase into multipack further showcasing its success on shelf and recognising a loyal and rapidly growing fanbase who are keen to purchase Small Beer in larger quantities, said James Grundy. Furthermore, distribution of our Small Beer Lager will be expanded from 160 to over 200 Waitrose stores, making it even more accessible to consumers across the UK. We would like to thank the Waitrose team for continuing to front-foot this most exciting of categories, for supporting independent SME's and for celebrating through action, the benefit that carrying a mid-strength proposition on their shelves brings to them as a business and to the customer shopping their shelves. James Grundy and Felix James at Waitrose & Partners Nine Elms #independent #business #brand #growth #retail #partnership

Another pure-play DTC brand goes multichannel. Is this a good thing? Absolutely. If you have a good product you should make it easy for your customers to buy. For most food and drink brands, this means being available in supermarkets, where 95% of food purchases are made. Does this mean DTC is dead? No way. 1) Without DTC, brands like Beer52 and Graze would not have been able to build their brands and refine their offer to the point where they have the credibility and relevance to get a supermarket listing. 2) DTC is still a great way to obtain bulkier, high-consumption everyday products like coffee, collagen, and toilet paper (to name a few). Multichannel is the way to go, but it does not come without groundwork. #multichannel #dtcstrategy #brandbuilding

If Coles Liquor and the Endeavour Group own 45-50% of the Australian Liquor retail market that means there is 50-55% of the market to focus on that is independent. Perhaps the Australian Craft Beer industry could refocus their energies to that.

Ontario has now permitted adults to purchase beer and wine, as well as certain mixers, at convenience stores. However, it was inevitable that there would be a markup for the convenience of not having to visit the LCBO or Beer Store. It will be interesting to see whether, as micro theory teaches us, geographically close convenience stores will all have the same pricing and lower margins than today in an effort to poach customers. All things considered, this will be a boom for convenience stores. From yesterday alone, the traffic at some convenience stores I saw was very steady. Let's hope, though, that people are responsible and that we do not see an increase in fights, traffic accidents, etc. #Ontario #beer #conveniencestores https://lnkd.in/gxUH6AGM

Did you know that Montgomery County, Maryland is the only jurisdiction in the U.S. with full monopoly control over alcohol distribution? In Montgomery County, not only do restaurants and retail locations face high taxes and mandatory purchases from the county’s monopoly warehouse, but the county also owns and operates its own stores selling wine, beer, and liquor. These government-run outlets, which are extensions of the county warehouse, often undercut local businesses, creating an even more uneven playing field. Additionally, the county is in charge of enforcement, which only adds to the unfairness of the system. At our family businesses, Downtown Crown Wine & Beer in Gaithersburg and Georgetown Square Wine & Beer in Bethesda, this system has significantly hindered our ability to compete, particularly in the wine and craft beer market. The county's excessive markup and direct competition have nearly destroyed our wine and beer business, making it extremely challenging to operate profitably under such conditions. Furthermore, Montgomery County profits nearly $1 million annually from our business alone through this system, without bearing any of the costs associated with running a business. Despite numerous discussions with Montgomery County Council members over the years, our concerns have been consistently ignored, and we've been treated as if our issues don't matter. This lack of support continues to exacerbate an already difficult situation. For more insight, here’s a compelling article from 2007 detailing the struggles faced by restaurateurs and retailers in MoCo. Unfortunately, many mentioned in the article have either closed or sold their businesses due to this unfair monopolistic system. Today, the situation has only worsened with even higher markups and limited product availability, exacerbating the costs. https://lnkd.in/gmjuDJrm Infographic Explanation The infographic highlights the unique four-tier monopoly system in Montgomery County, intensifying the challenges faced by local businesses: 1. Manufacturer/Supplier (Tier 1) 2. Wholesaler/Distributor (Tier 2) 3. Extra Tier - Montgomery County ABS Monopoly Warehouse**: Applies a 33% markup. 4. Restaurants and Retail Stores (Tier 4) Local Restaurants and private establishments like mine, forced to buy from the county warehouse, are in stark contrast to county-owned stores that extend the warehouse's reach. Let's bring more awareness to this issue. **Share this post** to help advocate for change and support our local businesses!

New Report Release!! We're thrilled to announce the release of our latest Pubs & Liquor Industry Insights Report, providing an in-depth look at the current trends and investment opportunities in this dynamic sector. Key findings reveal a 30% increase in non-alcoholic beverage sales over the past five years, along with a 25% rise in drive-thru liquor sales since the pandemic. The report also highlights significant market activity from major players like Dan Murphy's and Liquorland , as well as insights into the future of independent pub and liquor operators. To access the full report for free and stay ahead with the latest data and trends, subscribe now. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into one of Australia's most resilient investment sectors. Download the report: https://loom.ly/ng3Ntog #Pubs #Liquor #IndustryInsights #BurgessRawson #CommercialProperty #MarketTrends #InvestmentOpportunities #DanMurphys #Liquorland #Cellarbrations