Ready-to-drink beverages and large beer pack sizes will be available in grocery stores sooner than planned.
The province announced this morning that licensed grocery stores will be able to order them starting this Thursday and begin selling them immediately upon arrival.
This new timeline accelerates the first phase of the government’s plan to expand alcohol sales to grocery, convenience and big-box stores by a couple of weeks.
“Our government is keeping our promise to give people in Ontario choice and convenience while supporting Ontario-made beverage producers across the province, including the Ontario businesses that produce more than 80 per cent of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “This is an important milestone for grocery retailers and consumers alike as we continue our work modernizing Ontario’s alcohol marketplace.”
By the end of October, during the second phase of the rollout, every convenience, grocery and big-box store in Ontario will be able to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages if they choose to do so.
This comes amid a strike at the province’s main liquor retailer where about 10-thousand LCBO workers walked off the job on July 5th.
Written by: L. Dickson/K. Freeman
