Beer, wine and cocktails now in convenience stores

Owners have been waiting a long time’ for market to open

- JOSH RUBIN

Are you thirsty?

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, there are 4,000 more places for Ontarians to pick up beer, wine, cider or readyto-drink cocktails like hard seltzer, as the floodgates open for alcohol sales in corner stores.

"This is something we've been waiting a long time for," said a delighted Kenny Shim, president of the Ontario Convenience Store Association (OCSA), and owner of Busy Bee King Mart at King and Bathurst.

It's a major step in the Ontario government's opening up of the alcohol retail market. The next step comes Oct. 31, when grocery stores and big box retailers get their shot.

With Thursday's launch, consumers are going to be seeing plenty of familiar brands on the shelves, convenience store owners, retail experts and producers agree. And the prices will also be higher than consumers are used to seeing at The Beer Store or LCBO.

Beer and other drinks are stocked at a Circle K gas station store at Kennedy Road and Lawrence Avenue East, ahead of the official launch of alcohol sales in Ontario corner stores on Thursday.

"These stores only have so much space. They need tried and true brands that are going to sell," said Lisa Hutcheson, managing director at retail consultancy J.C. Williams Group.

Beers from international brewing conglomerates such as AB-InBev and Molson Coors will have a prominent spot in convenience store fridges, while the likes of Yellow Tail Shiraz or Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc will dominate the wine shelves.