Source: The Daily Item

LYNN - In wine shops throughout the region, posters are popping up that show a police officer in uniform with a message beneath that says selling wine in supermarkets is a bad idea.

The impetus behind that media campaign can be traced to a coalition of liquor, wine and package store owners who for years have enjoyed a monopoly on the sale of these items in Massachusetts. Other states like New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut allow supermarkets and retail outlets to sell beer and wine.

As Nov. 7 approaches, and with it Election Day and a ballot question that could spawn significant changes in the way wine is sold in Massachusetts, big retail chains from Wal-Mart to Stop & Shop are readying their own campaigns. Their message comes from the opposite side of the fence and contends that loosening up the wine stores’ grip on the market will lower prices and benefit consumers. They say the present system is simply unfair because it treats wine differently than other products and makes purchasing inconvenient, yet offers no solid evidence that selling wine in supermarkets would make it easier for minors to obtain.

Understandably, the mom-and-pop corner package stores, as the exponentially larger retailers of wines and spirits like Kappy’s, want residents to vote no on ballot Question No. 1. That’s why some of them on the North Shore want an opportunity to air their concerns before the city’s License Commission when it meets Tuesday, Sept. 26, at City Hall at 6:30 p.m.

Doug Kennison, proprietor of Newhall’s Liquor Store, 336 Broadway, asserted Thursday that public safety is at the crux of the matter, along with economics.

“It’s about safety for kids, especially those in high school or who work at places like Stop & Shop,” he said. “They will have easy access to alcohol.”

According to Kennison, the Massachusetts liquor industry has an estimated 90,000 employees, from truck drivers to vendors, who will likely oppose the law change.

“It’s going to get competitive,” he said. “We’ll be going up against a lot of money on the Stop & Shop side. But we’re not going to let big business step in and buy out our livelihood.”

Kennison said the law, if passed, would create dozens of new liquor licenses spread across the state by community and based on population. “We paid a lot of money for our licenses and now these conglomerates will come in and get them for almost nothing,” he said, speculating that more licenses will translate to less value.

Ralph Kaplan, owner of the Kappy’s wines and liquor store chain, is expected to join Kennison and others at the upcoming License Commission meeting.

“Ralph will present an overlay of the Vote No campaign,” Kennison said. “It’s a referendum question. Never been on the ballot before. If it passes, the big Stop & Shop lawyers are licking their chops, waiting for the first community that decides not to adopt it.”

Richard Coppinger, chairman of the three-member License Commission, said Kaplan and others will be allowed to speak. “They asked for the privilege of addressing us. They’re on the agenda, but I’ve asked them to keep it brief,” he said. “It’s a bit premature because even if the law passes, it still has to go to the Legislature, then to the City Council, and finally to us.”

Kim Hinden, spokesman for the Yes On One Campaign that supports the ballot question, scoffed at the suggestion that a public safety issue is involved. Referring to the police officer poster, she said, “The phony cop is as phony as the rest of their campaign. We hope the local municipal boards will listen to both sides of the issue.”

Hinden stressed that the vote is about wine only, not beer. Besides, she said, “There is no correlation between underage drinking and selling wine in grocery stores, and that is based on evidence in the 34 states where it’s allowed.” She said well-lit grocery stores busy with shoppers are likely to do a better job than small package stores when policing sales to underage customers.

Discuss this article in our Wine Marketing Forums!

This entry was posted on Friday, September 22nd, 2006 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Distribution Laws. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Other Network Sites: Wine Reviews, Ratings & Wine Prices | Wine Videos | Wine SEO

Advertisement