Governor Snyder signed into law this week a bill that would allow grocery stores with on-site gas stations to sell beer and wine at both the store and the station. The new law creates a “secondary location permit” so retailers can sell beer and wine under an extension of their primary license with certain conditions.
The bill also allows beer and wine licensees to operate fuel pumps on or adjacent to the licensed premises and to reduce the minimum distance between a fuel pump and the point of sale of alcohol from 50 feet to five feet.
Some lawmakers believed it unfairly allows big box stores to expand their footprint, and will create an unfair market advantage for them.
A lawyer and certified public accountant, Edward J. Castellani has practiced alcohol beverage law in Michigan for more than 30 years, assisting clients at all levels of the industry, including retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and importers. To learn more, he can be reached at ecastellani@fraserlawfirm.com or 517.377.0845.