Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Releases Annual Report, Retail Year in Review

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today released its 2015-16 Annual Report and Retail Year in Review, two publications that provide insight into agency operations and sales.

The Annual Report, in its fourth year, provides detailed information about each area of the PLCB's operations including store operations, licensing, marketing and merchandising, finance, supply chain, information technology, alcohol education, and personnel. The document is filled with statistics and descriptions intended to shed light on how the agency works and where the money it generates goes.

Some of the highlights of the 2015-16 Annual Report include:

• The steps the PLCB is taking to modernize systems and streamline processes, including PLCB+ and the Licensee Online Order Portal (LOOP)
• A one-page summary showing where the PLCB's money goes and how proceeds are distributed
• A summary of store operations, including store branding efforts
• A breakdown of the 71,000+ license and permit applications processed and more than 7,500 investigations completed, as well as a breakout of licenses by county
• A summary of Bureau of Alcohol Education grants and efforts to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking

The Retail Year in Review, featuring new infographics and a new design, is a detailed analysis of wine and spirits sales in Pennsylvania. It showcases sales by product category, individual products, counties, e-commerce, stores, and sales periods. Tracking consumer tastes across Pennsylvania and beverage alcohol industry trends enables the PLCB to analyze and improve its selection of products in more than 600 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across the state.

The 2015-16 Retail Year in Review includes the following findings:

• Just three of Pennsylvania's 67 counties account for more than a third of the state's total wine and spirits sales.
• The top three brands (by sales volume) in the commonwealth were Barefoot, Sutter Home, and Pennsylvania's own Jacquin's.
• December 2015 and November 2015 were the highest sales months for the retail year, with 12.76 percent and 8.64 percent of annual sales, respectively.
• Fireball Cinnamon Whisky 750 mL topped the list of products for units sold last retail year, while Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Old Number 7 750 mL achieved the highest dollar sales among individual products.
• Of the higher-volume counties, York, Lancaster, and Juniata showed impressive sales growth over the prior year, with 7.3 percent, 5.4 percent, and 5 percent growth, respectively.

To save on costs, a limited number of copies of each report, both produced in-house, are printed. Both reports are available at www.lcb.pa.gov.  

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. 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 $15.1 billion since the agency's inception – are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. 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.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Brassell, 717.783.8864

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board