Price Chopper looks to offer hard liquor in Lenox

LENOX – If you’re tired of buying your groceries then driving to a package store for a bottle of spirits, one local grocer has a solution.

The Price Chopper on Pittsfield-Lenox Road has reached an agreement with local grocery store O’Brien’s Market to buy its All Alcoholic license for $100,000, according to Howard Wayne, a lawyer representing Price Chopper for the transaction.

O’Brien’s will also receive the Lenox Price Chopper’s current beer and wine only license.

The transaction was approved by the Lenox Board of Selectmen and now heads to the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for a final blessing.

“This sale is great for both parties and will allow us to offer more convince to our customers,” said Mr. Wayne.

The issue of whether grocery stores can sell alcohol has been contentious in the state.

A ballot question in 2006 that would have allowed all grocery stores to sell beer and wine failed after a local police group launched commercials just days before the election warning of drunk driving deaths.

The commercials were funded by liquor stores, worried about the increased competition. It was one of the costliest ballot fights in state history, with corporate interests pumping in more than $11 million.

After that battle, liquor store owners and grocery chains meet to reach a compromise. A bill, sponsored by Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport) was crafted to allow chains to sell beer and wine at five stores starting in 2012. That number will be raised to seven in 2016 and nine in 2020.

The measure did not expand the pool of licenses available in the state. Owners interested in expanding must buy a license from someone else and obtain approval from a municipality and the state. Under that system, Price Chopper began negotiating with O’Brien’s owner Daniel O’Brien.

“With the expansion at Nejaime’s down the street, it was a good time for them to sell the license,” said Mr. Wayne.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on June 27, 2013. Filed under Community News,Featured,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry