Distributors servicing convenience stores licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) may be eligible to participate in LCBO’s Convenience Store Distributor Program.
This Program permits eligible authorized Convenience Store Distributors to facilitate sales of beverage alcohol on behalf of the LCBO and to distribute orders to licensed convenience stores.
Licensed convenience stores working with an authorized distributor will still be able to order product directly from the LCBO as required.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible, applicants must:
• Have an existing customer list that includes Licensed Convenience Stores that receive at least one shipment per week;
• Offer a variety of products to Licensed Convenience Stores, including at least five types of the following food products: canned food, dry food, frozen food, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, meat or meat alternatives, dairy or dairy alternatives, non-alcoholic beverages, baked goods, and snack foods;
• Maintain systems with the ability to accurately track inbound and outbound movement of Products, sales to Licensed Convenience Stores, and interface with LCBO applications (if required);
• Warehouse Product in secure, temperature-controlled facilities based in Ontario;
• Deliver Products along with non-alcoholic goods at least once a week to Licensed Convenience Stores;
• Have at least five years’ experience leading a logistics company and supported by an experienced operational team providing services to convenience stores.
Program overview
The following requirements will apply to the Program:
• Authorized Convenience Store Distributors may only facilitate sales on LCBO’s behalf to licensed convenience stores. Sales to other LCBO customers are not permitted.
• Distributors must have agreements with licensed convenience stores. These agreements cannot grant exclusivity to one or more distributors and licensed convenience stores must be permitted to order from any authorized distributor and/or directly from the LCBO.
• The distributor must purchase all products directly from the LCBO. Authorized distributors will be onboarded onto LCBO’s wholesale online ordering platform.
• Products must be sold to licensed convenience stores at the established wholesale price. Marking-up product is not permitted. Distributors may add delivery, service or other fees, according to the terms of the authorization.
• Distributors must make a representative number of brands and types of product available for licensed convenience stores to order at all times. This includes products from small breweries, cideries, distilleries or wineries, which must be clearly marked as “small” in the distributor’s catalogue or ordering system.
• The LCBO and Supplying Sources will fulfill and deliver orders to the “ship to” address provided by the distributor. The distributor may request to pick-up product from LCBO facilities or a location agreed to by a Supplying Source.
• The distributor will delivers products along with other goods to licensed convenience stores.
• The distributor is responsible for all storage logistics, costs, risks and liabilities of products in its distribution centre or other facilities within its network.
• Distributors must treat all licensed convenience stores fairly and equitably when processing orders.
• The distributor must maintain insurance as required by the LCBO under the terms of the authorization. The insurance must be in the types and amounts required to cover risks associated with the warehousing and delivery of beverage alcohol.
Reporting requirements
Authorized distributors are required to submit weekly inventory flow reports to the LCBO, in the form and manner prescribed by the LCBO. The template will be shared once you are onboarded onto LCBO’s wholesale ordering platform.
Please watch this webinar for more information: Convenience Store Distributor Program Webinar
How to apply
If you would like to apply to this Program, please:
• Review the eligibility requirements above.
• Apply by completing this application form
Please note that as part of your application, you will be required to submit your customer list of licensed convenience stores. This should be emailed to lcbo-policy@lcbo.com.
Please use this template
The LCBO will review your application to ensure that it is complete and meets the eligibility requirements and policy conditions.
If approved, the LCBO will issue an Authorization which must be fully executed before you can be onboarded as a wholesale customer. Once authorized, you will be contacted by LCBO’s Wholesale team to begin the onboarding process onto LCBO’s wholesale online ordering system. As part of this process, you will be required to accept the terms of the Master Supply Agreement with the LCBO.
For any questions about the application, please contact lcbo-policy@lcbo.com.
For any questions about working with the LCBO and convenience stores under the program, please contact groceryandconvenience@lcbo.com.
A list of authorized convenience store distributors will be added to this page and updated on a regular basis.
Convenience Store Distributor Program - FAQ
