NASHVILLE – Since 2008, state lawmakers, liquor store owners and convenience and grocery stores have fought an annual battle to allow supermarkets and convenience stores stock wine. Next year, supporters see victory ahead, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.
Jarron Springer, who heads the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Stores Association, said a bill on the Senate floor has the best chance of passage in recent attempts. Legislators will vote on the measure upon the opening on the annual session on January 14. “We’ve made progress every year,” he said. “We’re talking about alcohol law in America here. It’s ingrained in history and difficult to change.”
The current bill, supported by state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, would let cities that have by-the-drink or packaged liquor sales to vote on whether to make a new license available to grocery stores to stock wine and beer, but not distilled spirits. “It affects people’s day-to-day lives,” said Ramsey. Currently, 36 states let supermarkets and/or convenience stores to sell wine, including six of the eight states close to Tennessee.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel here,” said Springer. “If we were going to be the first state to do it, that’d be one thing. But we’re not, we’re at the tail end of it.”
The amendments supporters hope will sweetened the deal would permit liquor retailers to stock related products, such as mixers and corkscrews, plus let the owners acquire more than one store. “Right now, they can only sell wine, spirits and lottery tickets,” said Springer. “Well, that’s crazy, they should be able to sell other things in their store that complement other things they sell.”
The liquor store contingent still fears the rule change would drive many stores to close their doors. What’s up in the air is whether the beer and liquor distributors will support or oppose the bill. In earlier fights, both groups came down on the side of the liquor store owners, but during the last legislative session, the beer distributors seemed to be moving toward favoring the change.