The LCBO is going through its biggest ever expansion, with 65 new or expanded stores now in the works across the province, including about a new one a month in the GTA.
The latest additions here have been in Forest Hill and Etobicoke.
In Forest Hill, an area the LCBO expects to grow by about six per cent in the next decade, the new shop opened June 24 at 420 Spadina Road. It has 2,900 square feet of display space, with about 1,100 products in the regular selection--including 29 craft beers--and about 200 in the Vintages section.
The Etobicoke shop opened last week on July 4 at 211 Lloyd Manor Road with 4,860 square feet of selling space, 1,450 regular products and 120 Vintages selections, as well as a beer cold room.
"Across Ontario so far, since 2012, a total of $56 million has been invested," says LCBO spokeswoman Sally Ritchie, who says that 139,000 square feet of selling space has been added so far.
She also says there are two new ways of getting our booze to us. The LCBO is introducing Express shops in grocery stores (yay!), and Ontario wine boutiques inside certain existing LCBOs. The latter, Ritchie says, is in response to wine producers, who told the LCBO they'd like to have more opportunity to put their wines in front of customers.
The LCBO expects the current expansion to be done by the end of 2014.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Sally Ritchie