As part of the provincial government's modernization of the alcohol marketplace, newly-licensed grocery stores can start selling beverage alcohol products today.
As the exclusive wholesaler to grocery stores, LCBO is pleased to share that customers can expect to see beer, wine, cider, or ready-to-drink products on the shelves of up to 412 grocery stores, in addition to the 450 grocers who were already licensed to sell beverage alcohol.
Quick facts
· There are currently more than 412 newly-licensed grocery stores in Ontario; 197 stores have onboarded, or are in the process of onboarding, with LCBO.
· Grocery stores can select from almost 3,000 eligible beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink products, with more products being added regularly.
· As individual grocery stores decide what products they want to sell in alignment with their alcohol licence, product availability may differ from store-to-store.
· Individual grocery stores decide when they want to start selling (October 31, 2024, marks the first legal selling date).
· Licensed grocery stores may set their own retail prices, which may be above or below LCBO prices, but minimum pricing rules apply.
· Grocery stores interested in selling beverage alcohol products, must apply through the AGCO to become a licensed retailer.
For more information about the expansion of the marketplace and how this impacts trade partners, please visit our dedicated page on doingbusinesswithlcbo.com.