Ready-to-drink cocktails to be available in grocery stores sooner than planned in Ontario

Ready-to-drink cocktails will be in Ontario grocery stores sooner than planned.

Allowing the sales of ready-to-drink beverages or cocktails in grocery and convenience stores was one of the issues prompting the Liquor Control Board of Ontario workers to strike. LCBO workers walked off the job on July 5.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union has said Premier Doug Ford’s plan to open up the alcohol sales market poses an existential threat to the LCBO that will lead to major job losses if convenience stores and all grocery stores are allowed to sell beer, wine and ready-to-drink cocktails.

But the Ford government just announced licensed grocery stores will be able to order ready-to-drink beverages and large beer pack sizes starting Thursday (July 18) 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. The 450 grocery stores currently licensed to sell beer, cider or wine will be able to sell ready-to-drink beverages and large beer pack sizes once they arrive in store, rather than Aug. 1, a release from the province states.

“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, Ontario’s minister of finance.

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“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 2024, 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.

Over time, this new, more open marketplace will introduce up to an estimated 8,500 new stores where these products can be sold, the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition almost 100 years ago, the release from the province states.

As the province implements its plan, the government will continue to constantly evaluate how it can deliver choice and convenience, the release states.

The government is also creating temporary flexibility to allow licensed grocery stores to display alcohol in multiple areas of a store, with some limits.

And to help bars and restaurants manage inventory and to help ensure a consistent supply of products, the government is also temporarily allowing the transfer of wine and spirits between locations with the same owner and/or affiliated licensees.

Meanwhile the LCBO has walked back a plan to open 32 stores three days a week with limited hours. The LCBO now says it won’t open those stores and is instead reallocating staff to other parts of its operations so it can better support bars, restaurants and other businesses.

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