B.C. restaurants, bars, and pubs will now have more choice in where they buy their liquor.
The B.C. government announced on Friday that they are commencing a three-year trial to allow licensed hospitality establishments in the province to purchase liquor from private liquor stores.
In a release, the government said that this trial is to “give bars, pubs and restaurants more flexibility to meet surges in demand and deliver the best possible customer experience.”
They added that this will be especially helpful during times when a business might have to immediately restock or source a specialty product.
“For example, this change allows a bar that runs out of a product during a busy night to restock from the closest open liquor store,” reads the release.
Prior to this, bars, pubs, and restaurants have only been able to purchase from government-run BC Liquor stores and eligible B.C. wineries, breweries, cideries, and craft distilleries.
They could not purchase from private liquor stores — something that the hospitality industry found frustrating when all BC Liquor store employees were called to join last year’s BCGEU strike, and their liquor supply was threatened.
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) will remain the sole wholesale importer and distributor of liquor in B.C., distributing liquor to BCLIQUOR stores and private liquor stores.
The LDB will continue to collect the same markup, regardless of whether hospitality customers buy from a BC Liquor or a private store. The B.C. government said they do not expect any impacts on government revenue, since the LDB and BC Liquor stores will keep selling alcohol to private retailers at wholesale prices.
“We’re finding ways to support hospitality businesses, while protecting the good jobs and public revenue from B.C.’s public retail and distribution system,” said Lana Popham, minister of agriculture and food.
The trial will run until June 2029.