IN THIS ISSUE #3: (Issued March 21, 2020)
Important information included in today's email:
LPs ( liquor primary) and FPs (food primary) can sell alcohol with take-away and delivery meals
LDB Wholesale: Single bottle pick service has been suspended
LPs ( liquor primary) and FPs (food primary) can sell alcohol with take-away and delivery meals
Working hard this afternoon, we are very pleased to announce that—effective immediately—LPs and FPs who are currently in compliance with yesterday’s PHO directive are now permitted to sell packaged liquor with the purchase of a take-away or delivery meal.
Government has moved extremely quickly to make this change at our industry’s request. We are enormously grateful for the support and assistance of our government partners and the many staff who have worked around the clock to get this change implemented.
Here’s what you need to know:
Liquor sales are ONLY permitted with purchase of a meal for take-away or delivery
You can sell any and all types of packaged liquor; you cannot sell mixed drinks
You may sell via online platforms
You may only sell to patrons (i.e. you cannot sell to other liquor licensees)
For delivery, the person delivering must have Serving it Right and must ensure the customer is of age. As with all liquor sales, it is ultimately the licensees’ responsibility to ensure compliance.
The change is effective immediately and will remain in place until July 15, 2020.
To be abundantly clear: LPs and FPs ARE NOT PERMITTED to sell alcohol for take-away or delivery without a meal sale. Doing so will be a direct contravention of your Terms and Conditions and make you subject to serious penalties.
This temporary change is an emergency measure to support the thousands of hospitality businesses, and tens of thousands of workers, who are being hurt by this unprecedented crisis. It will also allow millions of self-isolated British Columbians continue to enjoy the services of their favourite pub or restaurant.
In addition to the tremendous support of our government partners, we would also like to acknowledge the invaluable efforts of our Business Technical Advisory Panel in effecting this change. Terms and Conditions guides will be coming soon.
LDB Wholesale: Single bottle pick service has been suspended
To Agents and Suppliers,
The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is continuing to monitor the evolving situation with COVID-19, and is working hard to implement processes that minimize service disruptions to our customers. We want to assure you that the protection of our supply chain is of the upmost importance. To mitigate risk to the supply chain, we have made the decision to suspend single bottle picks until further notice.
As you can appreciate, our distribution centres continue to experience unprecedented volumes, coupled with declining staff numbers. While we have implemented measures such as overtime and additional shifts, and our team continue working hard to get product out the door as quickly and efficiently as possible, we are experiencing some challenges.
We are aware of the benefit this service provides to some of our wholesale customers and acknowledge the impact this may have on some of our suppliers/agents. However, we have to consider the amount of effort that is required to keep it running. By temporarily suspending single bottle picks, it allows our staff to focus singularly on meeting volume demand.
This wasn’t a decision we made lightly. Our partnerships are very important to us, and we are committed to working with you to ensure the best outcomes for your operations.
We thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this challenging and ever-changing situation.
LDB Wholesale Operations
