By Emily Stonehouse

Brad Park, the owner of Haliburton’s bustling Foodland, believes that liquor sales at the store will benefit business. 

“It’ll boost sales for sure,” he said. “There’s no downside to that.” 

Park was able to sell alcohol at the downtown location as of Oct. 31, and so far, he said it’s been met with success. 

“I’ve been spending some time around, listening to what people are saying,” he said. “And so far, there hasn’t been any negative feedback. Not one thing.” 

Currently, Park has the alcohol lined up near the freezer section of the store. There is a wide variety of options available; with everything from local beer to fine wines, and a variety of ciders and seltzers. The caveat with sales is that it must be “ready to drink”, which means that hard liquors are not on the roster. 

Sobeys, the national supermarket chain and parent company of Foodland, applied for the liquor licensing on behalf of the franchise. “I knew it was coming,” said Park. “We had heard about it since mid-August, but it all happened quickly once we were approved.” 

In early September, the green light was given by the provincial government to gas stations and convenience stores to sell alcohol, with grocery stores following on Oct. 31. 

Steve Todd, the owner of Todd’s Independent, is still waiting for approval to sell alcohol out of his facility. “It’s a little more difficult,” said Todd, “but, we applied for a license, so it’s just a matter of time.” Todd noted that the logistics behind the selling of alcohol in grocery stores can be complex when it comes to changing the layout of the store to accommodate sales. “But it will be a good selection once it happens. And it will happen quickly once we are approved.” 

While there are still a few wrinkles to be pressed out in the process of selling at Foodland, Park noted that most things have been streamlined. “Anyone selling or touching liquor needs to have training,” he said. “It’s a 1.5 hour course, and staff completed that.” He also noted that there are designated liquor sale lines, where the cashiers are old enough to sell liquor, and have the appropriate training. 

“Something we’re all thinking about though, is the returns,” said Park, noting that logistics around returning empty bottles is still uncertain from a governmental directive perspective. “There have been questions around bringing back dirty, empty bottles to a grocery store, where people are buying food,” noted Park. “So we are just waiting to hear what we should do if we start getting those.” 

When asked about concerns around easy-access of alcohol, Park noted that he’s mindful of that, but not concerned. “I think having it readily available will make it different for people,” he said. Though, he is very cognizant of ensuring that it doesn’t fall in the hands of underage shoppers, noting that he will be adding cameras to the alcohol area, and maintaining appropriate training to cashiers to ensure safety and security to all shoppers. 

In the week that alcohol has been made available at the local store, Park says sales have been good, and if anything, there has been a lot of positive feedback. “People are saying it’s great,” he said. “It’s become a one-stop- shop. I’m all for it.”