Come April 1, it’s no joke that a bottle of cabernet or merlot might cost you more, says one local wine retailer.
April Fools’ Day is when new liquor laws in B.C. come into effect. Chief among the new changes: government liquor stores will be open on Sundays, and, pending approval, grocery stores will stock B.C. wines on their shelves.
But be prepared for some sticker shock at your local liquor store, said Tyler Dawson, store manager and buyer for Liberty Wine Merchants at Park Royal.
A higher markup on wine products is expected under the new changes, explained Dawson. While wines under $20 will remain at about the same price, bottles above that benchmark might cost consumers 10 to 12 per cent more.
The way the products are priced on the shelves is also changing.
“In the new regime, the taxes will be added later, so you will go to the till and pay 15 per cent more than what you see on the shelves,” said Dawson.
Liberty Wine Merchants, meanwhile, is not worried about nearby grocery stores potentially selling their bread and butter.
“I’m standing in the most competitive market in B.C. — for such a small population,” said Dawson, adding there are already five liquor operators within a four-kilometre radius of his store.
Down the road at the 16th Street Liquor Store in Ambleside, staff are preparing for potential competition and waiting to see if a neighbouring grocery store will take the bait and start selling B.C. wine.
“It definitely will have an impact because there’s that added convenience,” said Micah Noble, chief executive officer for Kooner Hospitality Group, which operates 16th Street Liquor Store.
Noble said many people in the B.C. hospitality industry are a little suspicious that this is a foothold for other alcohol products to eventually appear on those grocery store shelves.
With the government liquor stores set to open on Sundays, it’s not a concern for Noble, who said it’s historically the slowest day of the week for liquor sales.
