Yesterday, the Government released the list of the first winning bids for the sale of beer in Grocery stores. Click HERE for the list. As members will note on the list, we are pleased that there are a number of independent retail operators who have succeeded in winning bids for selling beer by next month. This is only the first tranche, or wave, of stores out of a total of 450 that will be awarded by the end of 2016.
It is important to note that without the intervention of CFIG, to ensure there was a separate bidding process for independents, it would not have been possible for independent stores to appear on this list, alongside chains such as Loblaw, Wal-Mart, Sobeys and Metro. At this point, to ensure complete fairness in the bid process, we have been advised that CFIG is not legally able to provide any further information at this time, as we are still governed by our Non-Disclosure confidentiality agreement we signed with the government as part of our negotiations. This agreement remains in place until the authorizations have been completed.
CFIG will continue to be actively engaged with this process as it moves forward with the second tranche, as well as the imminent announcement of changes to the way in which wine is sold in grocery stores. We encourage all members who were not successful in the first wave of stores, to make a bid in the second wave, bearing in mind this is a competitive bid process, and bids should be between 3% and 9.9% of margin.
In the meantime, we extend our congratulations to those independents who have made successful bids, which we believe will help demonstrate to the government and the public at large, that the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores offers more convenience to the public in a safe and responsible channel.
© 2024 Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
