Beer Store can apply to sell lottery tickets

Deal with Ontario allows retailer to expand its offerings

- ROB FERGUSON

The Beer Store has pledged to maintain "a competitive retail footprint" and is "planning to adapt and thrive" by expanding its fleet of vehicles and warehousing to deliver beer.

Could lottery tickets help the Beer Store improve its luck now that Premier Doug Ford has cleared the way for beer, wine, cider and pre-mixed drinks to be sold in corner stores starting Sept. 5?

With some experts predicting the increased competition means Beer Stores could go bust before long, the fine print in the deal announced three weeks ago does allow them to apply for licences to sell Lotto 6/49 and other lottery tickets.

But officials at the Beer Store won’t say if that’s the plan and are keeping mum on what else they might sell under an agreement that says “the province shall not prohibit TBS (the Beer Store) from selling any other product, including lottery tickets” except for other forms of beverage alcohol, cannabis or tobacco.

The Beer Store has pledged to maintain “a competitive retail footprint” and is “planning to adapt and thrive” by expanding its fleet of vehicles and warehousing to deliver beer to thousands of convenience and other stores while running its bottle and can deposit return service until at least 2031.