Stateways

Stateways Sept-Oct 2014

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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21 StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q September/October 2014 +++++++++++++++++++++ CONTROL STATES EXECUTIVE FORUM hand-crafted French EuroCave temperature-controlled wine cabinet for rare finds at the new Bedford store. Customer service is of particular importance to the NHLC, which has made it a point to ensure NH Liquor & Wine Outlet employees are well-versed in the world's many wines. The NHLC regularly hosts trainings to give employees the chance to taste and learn about a variety of wines and most recently held a series of trainings on northern Italian wines. NORTH CAROLINA James C. "Jim" Gardner Chairman, Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission T he North Carolina Al- coholic Beverage Con- trol Commission has focused on reducing underage drink- ing as a key issue for the agency in the last year. In May 2014, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory officially launched the Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking when he signed an executive order creating the Task Force to Combat Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking. As a part of the commissioned work, six college cam- puses in the University of North Carolina (UNC) system will pilot a program concentrating on prevention and treatment. The executive order creates a multi-agency task force aimed at reducing substance abuse and underage drinking. The Governor's Substance Abuse and Under- age Drinking Prevention and Treatment Task Force will build on statewide prevention, treatment and enforcement initiatives implemented by the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission, Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Division, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the University of North Carolina System. Curbing Club Violence In addition to the formative work on the initiative, the NC ABC Commission has also raised awareness about is- sues of violence in private clubs. In September 2013, the Commission sent a letter from ABC Commission Chair- man Jim Gardner to the more than 1,000 businesses that operate as private clubs in North Carolina. The letter reminded them of the laws and regulations governing their operation and put them on notice that incidents of violence will not be tolerated by the Commission. In ad- dition, the Commission has increased the period of time businesses receiving new permits are on temporary sta- tus, which gives law enforcement additional time to con- duct thorough review of their operations. Operationally, the NC ABC Commission also has had a busy year, seeing increases in numbers of products sold and increases in revenues. Liquor shipments totaled 5,193,612 cases, an increase of 3.57 percent. Revenues generated by ABC store retail sales totaled $868,431,378; an increase of 4.86 percent. Top sellers for the year included five vodkas, one gin, one rum, one flavored whiskey, one blended whiskey and one bourbon whiskey. North Carolina's own product shelves continue grow. The state now boasts 15 produc- ing distilleries with an array of 49 products including moonshine, vodka, rum, rye, whiskey, brandy, cordials and liqueurs. To help promote the state's distilled prod- ucts, the Commission has worked with the NC Depart- ment of Agriculture to introduce the "Got to Be NC / Goodness Grows in NC" branding in our price book, tapping into the farm-to-table movement to better at- tract the interest of leading restaurants. OHIO Bruce D. Stevenson Superintendent, Division of Liquor Control F iscal Year 2014 was an extraordinary year for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. We experienced many significant and positive changes in the industry and achieved record sales. Our accomplishments reflect the Division's renewed mission to move at the speed of busi- ness by modernizing operations for improved efficiency, providing exemplary service to customers and stakehold- ers, and taking a common sense approach to regulations helping Ohio businesses grow and create jobs. Celebrating Record Sales The dollar sales of spirituous liquor exceeded projec- tions and reached a record level of $916.7 million in Fis- cal Year (FY) 2014. This was an increase of more than $48 million over last year. Ohio is the third largest con- trol state, but this increase in dollar sales represents 5.4 percent growth, which made Ohio one of the top control states for growth in the country. Dollar sales grew 1.4 percent faster than the combined growth of all control states and 0.5 percent faster than all states. It's also notable that dollar sales grew at a higher rate than consumption. The total amount of spirituous liquor sold in FY

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