DENVER – Just how much will expanding wine sales to big name brand grocers and convenience stores hurt mom-and-pop liquor stores in Colorado? Only time will tell, but a recent study out of Colorado State University found the sale of full-strength beer in grocery stores that began in 2019 caused minimal harm to the craft beer industry and had minimal impact on liquor stores across the state.
Researchers do note, however, that there’s no evidence from their study that this reduction in foot traffic corresponded with a reduction in sales. Those challenges made it easier for those smaller breweries to partner with smaller liquor stores that had fewer logistical challenges to get through in terms of distribution, according to study co-author Joe Cannon, a professor of marketing a CSU.
So what does that mean for Colorado liquor stores now that wine sales are expanding outside of those confines?