Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Announces New Sunday Hours, Lottery Sales at the Grand Opening of Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection Store in York

YORK, Pa., Aug. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the grand opening of a relocated Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store in the West Manchester Town Center in York, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today announced new Sunday hours and the debut of Pennsylvania Lottery sales at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across Pennsylvania.

"With Act 39 liquor reforms becoming effective this week, we are promptly taking advantage of the new opportunities to serve our Fine Wine & Good Spirits customers better through expanded store hours and lottery sales," said Board Member and West Manchester Township resident Michael Newsome. "Take this beautiful new store, for example – now that legislative restrictions have been lifted, this is one of 94 stores that will be open this coming Sunday for the first time, and our customers have the added convenience of being able to buy lottery tickets here."

Including the West Manchester Township Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, lottery ticket sales began in 22 stores yesterday and today, and Lottery sales will be operational in 41 stores by the end of the week. The Pennsylvania Lottery and the PLCB will be working over the next few weeks to bring lottery sales to more than 170 Fine Wine & Good Spirts stores by September 9.  More than 300 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores are anticipated to offer lottery tickets for sale this fall.

"As soon as we received the legal authority to sell in PLCB stores, the Pennsylvania Lottery and the PLCB began working together to develop a plan for incorporating lottery sales into hundreds of Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores as soon as possible," said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. "We're thrilled to bring our products to our players in so many new locations and to grow our contributions to programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians."

In addition to offering lottery sales and opening more stores on Sundays, the PLCB will expand Sunday hours in all 188 stores that were previously open from noon to 5 PM on Sundays. Stores will now open at 11 AM and close at 7 PM on Sundays.

The PLCB also plans to add Sunday hours for 26 more stores on Sept. 4, bringing the total number of stores open on Sunday to more than 300, or about half of all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.  The PLCB will continually monitor and adjust store hours as consumer purchasing patterns evolve, particularly during the holiday season when store traffic is highest.

A spreadsheet detailing plans for new Sunday hours, expanded Sunday hours and Lottery sales by Fine Wine & Good Spirits store location is available from the PLCB Communications office, upon request.

Store hours and locations are also available at www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com. The Fine Wine & Good Spirits online store locator will be enhanced in coming weeks to allow customers to search stores by additional criteria including Sunday hours, lottery sales and the availability of Chairman's Selection® wines, which are select, highly rated wines at significant savings over nationally quoted prices, and Chairman's Advantage® wines, which are hand-selected wines available for under $10 a bottle.

The relocated, branded store in the West Manchester Town Center is more than 3,500 square feet larger than the store it replaces and features more than 3,600 wines and spirits, including additional Premium Collection luxury items not previously available to area shoppers. It also features more Chairman's Selection® wines. A Wine Specialist will be on hand to help customers select the right vintage for any occasion.

This new store offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere for consumers to browse the extensive selection and taste featured wine and spirits. The focal point of the new store is a center table, where customers can find staff to answer questions or provide individualized recommendations. The center table provides space for highlighting promotional items, a tasting bar to sample new products and a collection of educational materials for customers such as:

• Answers to frequently asked questions about wine and spirits
• A vintage chart
• A food pairing outline
• Party planning guide
• Calorie chart
• Tips for responsible hosting and consumption

The West Manchester Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection Store will be open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and from 11 AM to 7 PM on Sundays. The phone number of the store is 717-767-4514.

"The historic liquor reforms of Act 39, combined with our steadfast determination to continually improve the in-store shopping experience for customers, makes this a tremendously exciting time for the PLCB and for Pennsylvania consumers of wine and spirits," Newsome said. "Earlier this week we began considering requests for various new licensing permissions including wine-to-go permits, and we're keeping that momentum going with new Sunday hours, lottery sales and more store openings throughout the rest of the year."

In coming months the PLCB will explore customer loyalty programs, pricing flexibility, a new special liquor order portal and auction of expired restaurant licenses authorized by Act 39.

"We have worked to provide greater convenience and satisfaction to Pennsylvania customers and now comes the important work of implementing the law," said Governor Tom Wolf. "I am encouraged that the PLCB is focused on improving customer experience and putting these changes in place, but we must continue to work to make sure this law is executed properly and quickly. I encourage the PLCB to do everything they can to make this law a reality as quickly as possible. Our goal has always been to improve the customer experience, make pricing more competitive, make the purchase of products more convenient, and bring more revenue into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling more than $14.5 billion since the agency's inception – are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs and law enforcement and public safety initiatives across the state, among other things. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.

MEDIA CONTACTS: PLCB: Elizabeth Brassell, 717-919-1905
Pennsylvania Lottery: Gary Miller, 717-702-8008
Governor's Office: Jeff Sheridan, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board