Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province is temporarily authorizing liquor manufacturers to deliver products directly to individual consumers from their registered off-site storage facilities, in addition to their on-site stores.

Previously, liquor manufacturers were only permitted to deliver products stored off-site to hospitality customers, such as restaurants and pubs.

However, because of the pandemic, many manufacturers are now storing large volumes of product in their off-site storage facilities that would normally have been destined for hospitality customers. This temporary change will help manufacturers reduce this inventory by allowing them to sell to individual consumers.

The measure is one of the emergency recommendations put forward to government by a group of industry representatives, the Business and Technical Advisory Panel, in order to mitigate some of the challenges B.C. manufacturers have had in getting their product to B.C. consumers as a result of the pandemic.

People will still be required to complete transactions through a licensee’s on-site store online or by telephone. They will not be able to physically purchase product at off-site storage locations, as per current policy. 

This temporary measure will expire on Oct. 31, 2020, and no extension will be considered.

Learn More:

View the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch policy directive here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/liquor-law-policy/liquor-policy-directives