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STAYING AT 9 LICENSES IS ABOUT RESPONSIBLE RETAIL OF ALCOHOL BEVERAGES!

Family run businesses safely meet customer needs while serving as gatekeepers against illegal sales across Massachusetts. Deregulation of alcohol beverages has historically opened the door to illegal sales. Please help support locally owned retail and the communities that they serve by preventing the deregulation of alcohol retail in Massachusetts. 

There is campaign underway right now that is being led by large corporate interests to secure marketplace control of alcohol beverages retail. Massachusetts is one of several states across the country that is in the crosshairs of corporate food store and multi-channel retail chains. Almost all of these corporations are based outside of Massachusetts.

An opportunity for deregulatory mischief came through the temporary relaxing of state alcohol laws due to the Covid pandemic. Proponents for deregulation say, “Give the people what they want.” This is a nonsensical false narrative that public safety laws preventing marketplace dominance of a highly regulated product are in violation of “anti-trust” prohibitions. These arguments are false, and insulting, because the opposite is true. Big business is using the legislative and the judicial process to secure marketplace control of alcohol retail.

Deregulation has  taken a measurable toll on Massachusetts owned businesses. In 2011, a law was passed increasing the number of licenses a corporation or individual can hold. The previous number was 3 licenses, which was in line with the 23 other private alcohol retail states. Due to pressures by out of state retail and food store chains the number was increased to 9 licenses.

Nine alcohol licenses under the control of one corporation is proving to be far too many. A consequence has been the loss of mostly 2nd and 3rd generation family-owned businesses. In 2019, 216 Section 15 licensees sold and transferred their licenses. In essence, they were forced out of the marketplace. In 2020, that number was 206 license transfers. 2021 also surpassed 200 license transfers. 2022 also resulted in a record year for license transfers. The super chains are securing these licenses. 

Legislators, officials and consumers should be deeply concerned about the deregulatory activities of large corporate interests because many of these companies are too big for local and state authorities to regulate and properly control. This is because the alcohol laws in Massachusetts were formulated in the 20th Century to regulate the small businesses that are being replaced. Some of these out of state companies operate like independent nations. Several of them are headquartered outside of the United States. 

Using the opportunity presented by Covid, these corporate interests are working overtime to reshape the alcohol industry through the unnecessary deregulation and expansion of licenses. Preventing a marketplace control takeover by large corporate interests is a top priority at MassPack.

9 ALCOHOL LICENSES ARE ENOUGH!  


 $29 BILLION TOTAL INDUSTRY IMPACT TO MASSACHUSETTS  189,000 INDUSTRY RELATED JOBS IN MA  OVER $1 BILLION MA TAX REVENUES

STRENGTH IN UNITY

Massachusetts Package Stores Association, Inc.
30 Lyman St., Suite 2 / Westborough, MA 01581
Phone: (508) 366-1100 / Fax: (508) 366-1104
Email:
info@masspack.org

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