The Liquor License COVID Response Program

Liquor License Advisor is pleased to announce the launch of our Liquor License COVID Response Program for Boston and area restaurants, bars and other on-premise licensed establishments. Over the past 6 months, we have been approached by many owners who were looking for specific advice about their current situation and options.

The was a common theme and questions that kept coming up and the more owners we talked to, the more we knew we had to do something more to support the Boston restaurants who have supported us all of these years.

The program allows a quick assessment by our team of liquor license professionals to help you evaluate what your potential options are and what’s next. For full details on the program, see the info below or reach out to our office at (781)319-9800 any time to schedule a private conversation about your unique situation.

You’ve worked hard and deserve the best possible outcome for you and your business – we’re here for you. Give us a call at (781)319-9800.

 

 

Predictions For 2021 Holiday Liquor Sales In Massachusetts

Last holiday season was unprecedented, as COVID turned many large gatherings into small or virtual ones, and the most wonderful time of the year looked much different for most. People thought it was safe to assume that by the 2021 holiday season life would have returned to normal, and that holiday gatherings and spending would gain momentum.

Enter Delta variant and renewed restrictions in certain areas, and it looks like consumer trends may continue to shift. BevAlc recently released their top predictions for 2021 holiday sales, which highlights the uncertainty surrounding consumer behaviors during the months leading up to the start of 2022. Let’s take a closer look.

Before delving into what people will be consuming this holiday season, it is probably more notable to consider how they will be consuming. Celebrations will be mixed this year, as BevAlc reports that less than half of people surveyed will celebrate like they did in 2019, while a majority’s holidays will resemble those of 2020. Many are hesitant to make big plans in the ever-changing climate that has become pandemic life, and there will likely be a mix of pre-pandemic and pandemic celebrations.

Holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without gifts, and BevAlc believes that many gifts will continue to be purchased online this season. Drizly has reported significant growth in the gift giving sector, with share expanding from just 9% in 2019 to 20% by the end of 2020.

Retailers must pay attention to this significant shift, as it presents a valuable opportunity for them. Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights, comments that, “This is an awesome opportunity to drive valuable sales online”, as retailers can both acquire new customers online who perhaps wouldn’t normally frequent their store, as well as be introduced to new local shoppers.

People will be celebrating in different ways and making a lot of online purchases, but what will the drinks of choice be at these celebrations and for online purchases?

According to BevAlc’s report, tequila and whiskey will enjoy huge popularity, tequila making up 25% of liquor sales on Drizly.

Lander Otegui is the senior vice president of marketing at Proximo Spirits and remarked that “our customers like to enjoy tequila during celebratory moments”, and that “this is especially true during the holidays, a time when many are willing to spend more on premium offerings”.

Also making an appearance at holiday celebrations this year will be the newer-to-the-scene Ready to Drink cocktails. Drizly has reported an 85% increase in RTD sales, as hard seltzer sales decline and “RTDs could potentially be seen as a replacement for consumers for some secondary cocktail ingredients”, according to Paquette. If some are limiting their social interactions, hitting the liquor store or clicking around Drizly for the whole package might be all the rage this holiday season, rather than making multiple trips to multiple stores for cocktail ingredients.

And finally, champagne. “…in the U.S., Champagne is the wine for celebration”, according to Xavier Barlier, who is the senior vice president of marketing & communications at Maisons Marques & Domaines USA. Many felt cheated out of their 2020 holiday season, which is all the more reason to celebrate in 2021, whether at a small, socially distant gathering, a large reunion, or while catching up on Zoom. Champagne is also a great holiday and host gift, so people will be enjoying and gifting the bubbly.

“The more frustrated we get with COVID and Delta, “ comments Barlier, “the more we want to compensate. I think this year we’re going to splurge”.

For more articles on liquor licenses and liquor stores, check out our monthly magazine, The Advisor Magazine – Issue #9.

 

 

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

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