A Petition For Supporters Of Craft Beer & Small Business
By Lisa Szot
Supporters of craft beer & small business!
Supporters of craft beer & small business!
You may have heard that the Oregon State Legislature is likely to introduce legislation this February that will allow grocery stores to sell liquor. The legislators are introducing this bill because there is a similar ballot measure expected to make the November 2014 vote. That ballot measure is expected to pass, given how many citizens would like the convenience of purchasing liquor during their regular shopping and the fact that the ballot measure is backed by the NW Grocers Association, an industry group representing Safeway, Winco, Fred Meyer, and others in the grocery industry.
If this legislation is introduced and passed as written, Off Premise Sales license holders over 10,000 square feet will be able to sell liquor. Liquor stores will be able to sell beer & wine because there is concern about grocery stores having a competitive advantage over the liquor stores. Because there is concern regarding the availability of liquor at convenience stores like Plaid Pantry and 7-11, stores under 10,000 square feet will see no changes to what they can purchase.