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Premier Ford announced today that US products will be pulled from LCBO shelves and will not be available for sale, including for Ontario restaurants and bars.   

We are in active communication with the Government of Ontario and LCBO as we seek to affirm important details of interest to your business.

At this point, our understanding and expectation is that US products will be pulled from shelves on Monday evening and will not be available for sale Tuesday morning.    

Of greatest concern to our members, this action will impact US wines and 324 spirits SKUs. While not exhaustive, top selling impacted SKUs will include: Titos; Bacardi; all bourbons; Jack Daniels; Kraken Rum; Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum; Kahlua; Jim Beam; and Sour Puss.  

Outstanding Questions  

We have asked LCBO and the Government to confirm: 

  • Will orders already placed, but scheduled for delivery after Monday still be honoured? 
  • Can orders for delivery still be placed on Monday? 
  • Can restaurants return unopened inventory of US products for full refund? 
  • Will the government take action to lower wholesale discounts for licensees to help offset rising costs? 

Other Key Information 

  • In media, we are calling out that restaurants will have to change menus and product offerings, which will include pricing impacts. 
    We continue to address alcohol wholesale pricing opportunities.  
  • We are also broadly calling out that US led measures, and Canadian retaliatory measures, will impact restaurant prices, supply chains, and consumer spending.  We are therefore calling on governments to provide support that will help our sector protect restaurant locations and jobs.