New York: Fight fizzling over grocery wine sales

April 10, 2012

Your odds aren't nearly as long as those you confronted when you purchased all those Mega Millions tickets - but you'd be wise not to bet on your chances of buying a bottle of your favorite wine in the local supermarket anytime soon.

Amid all the recent Albany budget news came word that the latest lobbying effort behind the wine-in-supermarkets plan has fizzled out again - this time because Gov. Andrew Cuomo, unlike his predecessor, isn't hot on the idea.

And that's reason enough for Jeff Saunders to raise a glass of New York's finest and propose a toast.

Saunders is the founder of Last Store on Main Street, a liquor-store coalition that provides stiff resistance every time grocery-store chains try to push WIGS (wine in grocery stores) forward.

And the supermarket lobby has spent big bucks to try to win the support of those in Albany who can make things happen. They maintain that such a provision would create thousands of new jobs, while producing at least $300 million in new revenue for the state through licensing fees. All of us alcohol consumers would benefit as well, supporters say, because of pricing advantages and shopping convenience.

Want the other side of the story? You need only to bring up the subject with the independent retailers who see WIGS as a threat to their economic survival. In the Town of Wallkill, retired New York City police lieutenant-turned-liquor-store-owner Joseph Alonzo says his Anton's Liquor store would lose 20-30 percent of its business if people could buy wine in local grocery stores.

New jobs? Alonzo says they'd be offset by the employees he and other store owners would have to let go because of the loss of wine sales, and he thinks a change in the law would further loosen our grip on who handles alcohol.

He knows firsthand of the potential dangers. His childhood memories include being a passenger in a car that got rammed by a drunk driver.

To view the full story, click this link: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120410/NEWS/204100331  

Source: Record Online  

April 16, 2012

MUNSTER - Those younger than 21 drinking alcohol during this year's prom and graduation season won't have protection yet under a new Indiana law meant to encouraging people to seek medical help for those who are dangerously intoxicated.

The new law approved by legislators in March and signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels takes effect July 1. It will shield people from arrest on public intoxication or underage drinking charges if they seek help for someone facing an alcohol-related emergency.

But the legal gap leaves it up to county prosecutors to decide whether to file criminal charges, David Powell, director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, told The Times of Munster for a story Monday (http://bit.ly/JpG9yr ).

"That's up to each individual prosecutor," Powell said. "Candidly, until the new law is in place, the law is what it is, but each prosecutor has discretion."

The bill passed both the Indiana House and Senate without any dissenting votes. It supporters say similar disciplinary policies at some colleges have encouraged students to seek out assistance for others.

Republican Sen. Jim Merritt of Indianapolis, who sponsored the bill, said he didn't want anyone younger than 21 to be drinking. But if his child attended a party before July and someone needed medical attention because of alcohol, he said he'd want his child to call 911, even without the law's protection.

"I would much rather have a sticky legal issue with my child and the over-served (person) than have them dead," Merritt said.

Indiana will join at least 11 other states with some version of a law giving limited legal immunity to underage drinkers calling for medical assistance.

Merritt said the July 1 effective date was selected to give police departments, prosecutors and colleges time to train their employees and students about the new law.

Merritt said he believed police officers and prosecutors should follow existing law until the new one is in effect.

"If somebody is over-served you just hope somebody helps them," he said. "Everybody wants that person to get home safe."

Source: Journal and Courier

Link:  http://www.jconline.com/viewart/20120416/NEWS01/120416025/No-breaks-yet-under-new-Indiana-alcohol-amnesty-law- 

Two South Florida fast-food stops offer beer with their tater tots 

April 07, 2012

Sonic's Beach Place location is a little bit fast food/a little bit night club. It offers karaoke, beer and big screen TVs.

The temptation that is fast-food dining has always been a slippery slope. Give in to your burger craving, and it gets pretty hard to turn down some added fries. But what if things could get even more sinful?

As in, instead of that plain ol' Coke: "would you like a beer with that?"

That's the question that fast-food joints are increasingly posing to customers, both in South Florida and around the nation. The latest example is the South Florida return of Sonic Drive-In, which is back after a two-decade absence.

Carhops delivering your food on roller skates? That's still happening at Sonic, but its Fort Lauderdale Beach concept store also boasts karaoke nights, beer pong tables, and $1.50 drafts.

Sonic's addition of alcohol - which is limited to its South Florida stores - follows Burger King's unveiling of a beer-serving "Whopper Bar'' on Washington Avenue in South Beach in 2010. In the Midwest, White Castle is experimenting with beer and wine at a single Indiana location.

Don't go expecting beer at the drive-thru (there are laws against that), but for dine-in customers, it might be a good idea to bring your ID.

Even Starbucks, which generally serves healthier food options, is adding alcohol at a handful of locations, in hopes of attracting more "evening" customers.

"Wine is the really important product, and I don't think that's surprising," said Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson. "People who like good coffee also usually like good wine."

Starbucks has been serving wine and beer (often from local vineyards and breweries) at some Pacific Northwest stores for a year and a half, with the coffee chain planning to expand the initiative to select Chicago, Atlanta, and Southern California locations by the end of 2012. For now, Starbucks' Florida locations are sticking to the traditional menu - the only buzz you'll be getting here is from your Iced Venti Vanilla Latte.

At Sonic's Fort Lauderdale eatery, it's not just the beer that's new - the entire floor plan has a decidedly more festive, bar-like feel. Roller-skating waitresses provide full table service for those who want it, while a hostess lures in patrons with a mixture of dancing and, occasionally, playing air guitar. Customers can order drinks at a rectangular bar, and watch sports games on big-screen TVs.

To view the full story, click this link: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/04/2728019/two-south-florida-fast-food-stops.html

Source: Miami Herald 

C-Store Beer Sales Grew to $16.7 Billion

Leading channel among off-premise retailers  

April 17, 2012

WASHINGTON -- Beer sales in convenience stores rose by 1.3% in 2011, totaling more than $16.7 billion in sales, according to new data released by the Beer Institute. C-stores were responsible for nearly 17% of total beer sales in 2011, comprising the largest share of off-premise sales last year.

"Convenience stores offer beer consumers accessible, speedy service," said Joe McClain, president of the Beer Institute. "Convenience stores are growing in numbers, opening for longer hours, and offering a wide variety of brand options to our consumers. Growing convenience store beer sales show that consumers appreciate the ease of service this channel provides."

NACS chairman Tom Robinson, president of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Robinson Oil Corp., said, "Our strong performance in 2011, including beer sales, shows that our industry's core convenience offer--especially one-stop shopping and speed of service for refreshments, food and fuel--continues to resonate with our customers and attract shoppers to our stores."

The rise in c-store beer sales is concurrent with continuing growth in the c-store industry. The U.S. c-store count increased to a record 148,126 stores as of December 31, 2011, a 1.2% increase from the previous year. Based on these figures and U.S. Census data, there is approximately one c-store per every 2,100 residents.

Overall, the Beer Institute data indicate that beer sales rose more than 2% in 2011, surpassing $98 billion in total retail sales, highlighting beer's continued strength within the alcohol beverage sector. According to market research company Nielsen, the increase in sales revenue can be attributed to the high-end beer business. The sale of imports, crafts and above-premium beers sold off-premise was up nearly 3%.

The beer industry directly and indirectly supports approximately 1.8 million American jobs including those at the nation's 547,000 beer-selling retail establishments.

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 148,000 stores across the country, posted $681 billion in total sales in 2011, of which $486 billion were motor fuels sales. NACS has 2,200 retail and 1,600 supplier member companies that do business in nearly 50 countries.

The Beer Institute, established in 1986, is the national trade association for the brewing industry, representing both large and small brewers, as well as importers and industry suppliers.

Source: CSP

Link: http://www.cspnet.com/news/beverages/articles/c-store-beer-sales-grew-167-billion