Widespread speculation that B.C. liquor store prices will rise significantly on April 1 appears to be misguided given a partial price-list that Business in Vancouver has obtained.
Attorney General Suzanne Anton told BIV last week that the government would release its liquor store prices on March 20. Many expected that this release would be for the public.
Restaurant owners, the media and the public, however, were kept in the dark.
The British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) did release price lists of future B.C. liquor store prices to wine agents.
Some of those agents refused to provide their lists to BIV, saying that the BCLDB forbids them to reveal internal documents to the media.
One agent, however, provided a partial list to BIV and he said that prices on the whole were pretty much identical to the current prices across the board.
For example, the California red wine Republic currently retails at BCLDB stores at $16.99. The future shelf price of that wine will be $14.79 although a 10% provincial tax and a 5% federal tax will be added at the till, bringing the new sale price to $17.01.
The Seven Deadly Zins old vine Zinfandel wine from California’s Lodi region currently retails for $24.99 at BCLDB stores. On April 1, that price rises to $25.06 after all taxes are paid at the till.
Napa Valley’s Plume Winery produced a cabernet sauvignon in 2010 and 2011 that currently retails at BCLDB stores for $29.99. The price on April 1 will rise to $30 after all taxes are paid at the till.
For those who prefer Tuscan wines, the winery Rocca Delle Macie produced a wine it calls Roccato in 2009, which currently retails at BCLDB stores for $49.99. The price list that BIV obtained shows that the price of that wine will rise to $50.01 on April 1.
Finally, for those who like to splurge, the price of some Laurent Perrier rosé Champagne is currently $99.99 and is set to rise to $100.06 at the till on April 1.
The speculation about wine pricing comes because the B.C. government is overhauling the way wine is taxed in the province.
“We’re expecting that the government stores’ prices in April will be more or less what they are in March,” Anton told BIV on March 18.
“The vast majority of the products are about the same [price]. There’re a few that are more. Generally the overall package for you and me as a consumer going into a government store will look the same in April as it will in March.”
Historically the BCLDB produced price booklets that listed all products that its stores carry along with the retail price.
Anton said that, although the BCLDB may produce some marketing materials from time to time that highlights its pricing, consumers should not expect to have a single location that lists all of the BCLDB stores’ pricing. The rationale for this is that BCLDB stores are competing with private retailers who also rarely provide price-guides.
There will be a website, however, where consumers can plug in the name of a specific product to find out its price.
The B.C. government’s change to create alcohol shelf prices that exclude a 15% tax that will be added at the till was done because of new software, Anton said.
“We bought an out-of-the-box software and we don’t have to make massive changes to it. We’re just now displaying [pre-tax] prices like most retailers do.”
