How are booze sales at London corner stores? Here’s what we found

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A week after corner stores began selling booze in Ontario, licensed shops in London say it’s been great for business as six-packs fly off the shelves, mostly to college and university students.

Whether it’s a neighbourhood corner store or local grocer, thousands of licensed shops across the province began selling beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink mixed cocktails on Sept. 5.

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Shops can sell alcohol from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but staff must have SmartServe training. Customers will face ID checks if they appear to be under 19.

At the Circle K across from Fanshawe College, law student James Montenegro was buying alcohol from a convenience store for the first time.

“It’s a bit pricey, but it’s convenient,” he said, adding he might stick to bigger retailers because there are more options and better prices.

Convenience stores aren’t allowed to sell spirits, such as rye, gin, vodka or whisky, which are available only through the LCBO.

Another Fanshawe student, Ricky Jeffey, said it’s easier to get alcohol at convenience stores because he can walk to one. “(I see) students here (at the store) every night.”

At the Station Park Convenience Store on Richmond Row, employee Himath Kuttichira said weekend sales have been good because university students are back for the school year.

“It’s really busy at night because they party here, but it’s really slow in the morning,” he said.

For Pradeep Trivedi, owner of Hi-Ya Mini-Mart and U-haul at 332 Wharncliffe Rd. N., sales have been “pretty good,” with customers seeking alcoholic beverages at the store from morning until night.

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“Most customers are people in their 30s looking for singles and students living in the area, and they buy either six or 12 packs,” Trivedi said, adding the store plans to fill more fridges with beer to meet demand.

Some other shop owners, however, have chosen not to get a licence.

“People come in looking for (alcohol), but I decided not to sell it,” said Ray Barzak, owner of Ray’s Variety at 243 Wharncliffe Rd. N. “Because of my religion, and I don’t want to get in trouble with customers stealing. It’s less money, but more safe.”

When it comes to stealing and dealing with shoplifting, David Yeo, owner of Miles Variety Store at 1080 Richmond St., said he’s preparing for the potential chaos of Western University’s homecoming in a few weeks.

Yeo, who went to Western, said he knows the school’s “party culture” and has hired more people to help him keep an eye on customers. He’s also stocking up the fridges for the next few weeks.

“I sold out (the beer) in the first three days, and I’ve got an advantage because of the location, so I might as well make the most of it,” he said.

“Selling beer at a convenience store is definitely very new to us, but other provinces already carry it,” Yeo said. “We might have many ideas of what the future might look like, but it’s like any other item, and it’ll make it more convenient for people rather than driving somewhere else to get it.”

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Bringing beer and wine to corner store fulfils a 2018 campaign pledge from Premier Doug Ford. David Peterson of London made a campaign promise when he was leader of the Ontario Liberals in 1985 to allow the sale of beer and wine in corner stores, but the move was rejected by opposition parties.

A 10-year-deal with The Beer Store stood in the way of Ford’s promise until May, when Ford said he had broken the deal and brokered a new one with the company. The Beer Store, owned by three international conglomerates, will get $225 million from taxpayers under the new deal.

Part of the new agreement with the Beer Store includes keeping at least 386 stores open until July 2025 and at least 300 until Dec. 31, 2025. The Beer Store will continue with its widely respected recycling program until at least 2031.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario said that by Sept. 3, it had granted 4,200 licences to convenience stores, about 40 per cent of such stores in the province. And some 2,000 such stores had ordered alcohol from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the exclusive wholesaler.

Several health organizations, including Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, have expressed concern and disappointment with the move to expand alcohol sales.

They say the easier access to alcohol will increase dependence, cause chronic diseases, and increase injuries, suicides, and impaired driving.

With files from The Canadian Press and Postmedia

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com

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