A Liquor Consultant Simplifies the Ontario Convenience Store Liquor License Application Process

If you want to apply for a convenience store liquor license in Ontario, working with a liquor license consultant makes the process much easier, reduces the time it takes, and increases your chances of liquor license approval. A consultant can help assess your eligibility, gather the right documents, submit the application, set up your store, onboard with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, order products from LCBO and ensure that your staff have the necessary training.

What is a Convenience Store Liquor License?

A convenience store license is for any store with 4,000 square feet or less of retail floor space.

A grocery store license is for any store with 4,000 square feet or more of retail floor space.

Retail floor space is defined as “indoor floor space fully enclosed by walls in which products or services are offered for sale to the public”. To calculate retail floor space, you subtract non-sales areas (such as storage rooms, washrooms) from the total square footage.

What are the Eligibility Requirements?

• Store must have 4,000 square feet or less of retail floor space
• Must sell at least five of the following: canned foods, frozen foods, dry goods, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, meat or meat alternatives, dairy, dairy alternatives, non-alcoholic beverages, baked goods, snack foods
• The store is not primarily a pharmacy, though a pharmacy can be located within the store

Convenience Store Liquor Products

Convenience store licensees may sell liquor from 7am – 11pm seven days a week. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is the sole supplier. A convenience store may sell:

• Beer, ready-to-drink beverages and cider with no more than 7.1% alcohol by volume
• Wine with no more than 18% alcohol by volume
• Fortified wines (containing added alcohol distillate) of less than 18% alcohol by volume

Liquor packaged together must be sold in the original packaging.

Product display requirements:

• At least 20% of beer containers for sale must be from small breweries
• At least 20% of ciders for sale must be from small cideries
• At least 10% of wine for sale must be from small wineries
• At least 20% of ready-to-drink beverages must be from small breweries, distilleries or wineries

Sources:
“Permitted Products and Packaging Requirements”, AGCO.
“Product Display and Storage Requirements”, AGCO.

Note: Licensed convenience stores and grocery stores in Ontario no longer have to sell liquor products in one area of the store. The contiguous product display requirement was removed, giving retailers more flexibility in how they configure retail floor space.

What Training Do My Employees Need?

Convenience store employees must hold one of two certifications: Liquor Retail Training or Smart Serve.

Source: “Responsible liquor sale, service and delivery training”, AGCO.

Talk to the Convenience Store Liquor Licensing Expert at Thrive Advisors

Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors takes the complexity out of the application process and guides applicants from the planning stages to license approval and beyond. If you’d like to apply for an Ontario convenience store liquor license but don’t know where to start, read about Thrive Ontario liquor and cannabis license services and book a free 30-minute consultation.