Proposed Bill To Nix US Requirement To Obtain Liquor License

Will U.S. Residency Be Required?

Our Team here at Liquor License Advisor often receives the question of whether someone must be a U.S. citizen to obtain a liquor license in Massachusetts. Legally, they do: The way the law currently stands, the manager of record for a business must be a U.S. citizen to obtain a liquor license, which means that a non-citizen cannot be listed as the manager of record if he or she requires a liquor license for his or her business. Here in Massachusetts, the license owner must actually be a state resident as well to go on record as a manager or owner of a liquor license.

To read the full article – check out The Advisor Magazine – Issue 31.

 

Doubling Liquor License Allotment In Massachusetts

A 2022 ballot proposal seeks to change the liquor license industry as we know it – but in a staggered, controlled fashion. Although there are a few components to the proposal, the most impactful portion of the ballot question proposes to increase the number of licenses available to retailers from the current allotted nine to 18. This proposal comes on the heels of Cumberland Farms unsuccessfully pursuing an unlimited number of beer and wine licenses for food and convenience stores, which created quite the buzz in the liquor license world. Although similar in nature, this new proposal requests additional, not unlimited, liquor licenses, which may lead to a warmer reception than the one the Cumberland Farms proposal met, as this proposed increase is gradual in nature.   Currently, each corporate entity or individual is limited to a maximum of nine total alcohol licenses, including both wine & malt licenses and all-alcoholic beverage licenses.  All nine of these licenses can be all-alcoholic licenses as of now, a ratio that would change under the proposed plan.

This proposal offers a staggering increase of this allotment, which would be laid out like so, according to a recent State House News Service report:

-Increase to 12 licenses in 2023

-Increase to 15 licenses in 2027

-Increase to 18 licenses in 2031

It is important to note that all-alcoholic beverage licenses would be capped at seven, and the remainder of the licenses would have to be used for wine & malt.

However, any licensee who currently holds nine all-alcoholic beverage licenses would be grandfathered in and allowed to keep all nine all-alcoholic licenses.

Mass Pack Executive Director Robert Mellion describes the proposal as an “olive branch to food and convenience stores who previously sought to uncork an unlimited number of beer and wine licenses”, according to State House News Service. Mellion is also quoted as saying that the proposal “is intended to end some of the constant disruptions in alcohol retail that has been going on since 2006”, in a Boston Business Journal article entitled “Six Proposed 2022 ballot initiatives for businesses to watch”.

Cumberland Farms surprisingly did not file a ballot proposal related to alcohol sales, as expected, and this increase from nine to 18 licenses serves as a compromise between Cumberland Farm’s former proposal and what is currently allowed. The State House News Service article elaborates on the notion of compromise by quoting Mellion as saying that, “because many shoppers want to purchase beer or wine alongside their groceries and because package stores rely on spirits to drive much of their business, the language could serve as a compromise that offers benefits to both camps.”

The ballot question contains a few other components as well, such as banning alcohol sales at self-checkout stations; allowing liquor stores to accept out of state IDs and allowing these IDs to be “reasonable defense” against allegations of selling to a minor; and mandating fines based upon a store’s gross sales, rather than alcohol sales alone, if a store is found selling alcohol to a minor.

Regardless of where you stand on this issue, the liquor license industry is changing, and the Cumberland Farms proposal and this subsequent 2022 ballot proposal are paving the way for this change that some owners don’t want to stick around to see how it ends.

 

For similar articles, read The Advisor Magazine by Liquor License Advisor – Issue #7

Liquor License Broker Boston - How Do You Know If A Broker Is Right For You?

Boston Liquor License Broker – or any broker for that matter are not all the same!

When you are buying or selling a license or a business, there are many moving parts and it requires some skill and finesse to get the result you want. A successful transaction in the liquor industry has to be navigated by someone who meets the following criteria:

  1. they are a specialist in the liquor industry, not a generalist
  2. they are trustworthy and have integrity
  3. they have industry-specific knowledge of liquor licenses in the area
  4. they have the confidence and communications skills that will lead the process and keep all parties in check
  5. they have proven systems and processes
  6. they are surrounded by a team and complimentary experts who can get the deal done

The intricacies of a deal have to be managed in a way that keeps it moving along. We’ve found the longer a deal goes, the more likely it is to not close. We place significant priority in timing each phase of the process and know exactly how long it takes to sell a liquor store or license.

In this video, Dan Newcomb, long time liquor license advisor and liquor license expert talks about finding the right Boston liquor license broker:

At the end of the day, you want to find the best fit with someone who can see the deal through to the end and get the transaction done in the quickest time possible for the most money when selling your liquor store.

If you are looking for a Boston liquor license broker or a liquor store broker anywhere in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Florida – give us a call we’d be happy to discuss options to work with us to get you where you need to be.

To learn more about our general offerings and specialized services for attorneys, licensing coordinators, liquor store owners, franchise developers, food and beverage establishment owners, bankruptcy trustees, lenders, and more, visit our resources section or give us a call  directly at 781.319.9800

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