Rutter’s will now sell canned cocktails and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in its Pennsylvania stores. The products will be available in 64 of the retailer’s locations in Pennsylvania, adding to its selection of beer, wine, and spiked slushies already available in the commonwealth.
Earlier this month, a law went into effect in Pennsylvania allowing c-stores to sell RTD cocktails. Previously, RTDs could only be sold in state-owned liquor stores. The bill restricts the sale of the drinks to before 11 p.m. and to drinks that have alcohol content lower than 12.5%, reported local news station WHYY.
When the bill was passed in July, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board estimated that if the 12,439 licensed establishments, which also includes restaurants, bars, beer distributors, and grocery stores, applied to sell ready-to-drink cocktails, it will raise $137 million in tax revenue over the next five years. That is not counting the additional money coming in from the permit application fees and annual renewal fees, wrote the Meadville Tribune.
RTD cocktails have seen significant growth in the convenience channel. According to NIQ data from earlier this year that tracked the last 52 weeks of growth, ready-to-drink cocktails grew by 63.5% as consumers seek single-serve beverages.
RTD cocktails are a hit among women in particular, who prefer single-serve size drinks, Michelle Abdollah, category manager for alcoholic beverages at ExtraMile Convenience Stores, told NACS Magazine.
Tia Wines, director of marketing for Southern Champion, agreed, noting “C-store visits are usually driven by convenience or occasion, so single-serve, full-bodied and ready-to-drink cocktails fill the inherent gap c-store customers are looking to fix with premium flavor, strength, and convenience.”
Read more insights from Abdollah and Wines in The Drink Driving Demographic in the August issue of NACS Magazine.