Since 1923 beer sales have been controlled by The Beer Store in Ontario and this has been blessed, renewed and authorized by successive governments.
The OCSA has been working with the current Ontario government to open the market to allow beer sales in convenience stores as we see throughout North America, Quebec and Newfoundland.
The MFA agreement that was signed by the last Liberal government gave control of beer sales to The Beer Stores for 10 years (until 2025) and we are hoping and anticipating we will soon hear change is coming.
Consumers in Ontario have been asking for more convenience, more access on hot summer days and a better retailing system for certain beverage alcohol.
The OCSA is advocating for all convenience stores to be able to responsibly sell beer and ready to drink products going forward.
The MFA agreement has a clause that by the end of 2023 the government of the day must announce a renewal of the existing agreement or notice of cancellation once the agreement comes to an end.
We anticipate the Ontario PC government will not renew the MFA agreement and we will start to work towards a more open store model for the future of beer, hopefully allowing family run stores (6,000 strong) to sell beer in the near future.
There are still many questions to be answered and we need retailers to start thinking about the future. Who gets it first? How do I participate? Independents vs National chains? training, licensing, margins, recycling and more.
The OCSA is more than pleased to represent our membership going forward and we encourage you to join us to ensure you have the same opportunities as the national chains.
The convenience store future will soon be brighter for all once we transition into this new category.
Feel free to reach out to the OCSA at info@conveniencestores.ca.