COVID-19 Liquor Industry Update: Provincial Health Order & Single Bottle Picks Suspended

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues, 

We are sending you a short update this evening to share with you two important pieces of information we received tonight:

Copy of Provincial Health Officer’s Order: All Dine-In Service in BC Cancelled

Per our second email update sent today, BC’s Provincial Health Officer ordered that all dine-in service in BC be cancelled. 

Liquor Primaries may re-open to offer take-away or delivery food services only. Liquor Primaries that focus on liquor service (such as nightclubs) are prohibited from opening at this time.

For more details and ‘take-away’ requirements, download a copy of the Provincial Health Officer’s Order here.

If you have any other questions or concerns about this, please contact Jeff Guignard: jeff@ablebc.ca. 

LDB Suspending Single Bottle Pick Service

As you may already know, to minimize service disruptions and mitigate risk to the supply chain, the LDB has made the decision to suspend single bottle picks until further notice.

A copy of the LDB’s notice is below. If you have any other questions or concerns about this, please contact Jeff Guignard: jeff@ablebc.ca. 

LDB Notice to Wholesale Customers

To our valued customers,

The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is continuing to monitor the evolving situation with COVID-19, and is working hard to implement processes that minimize service disruptions to our customers. We want to assure you that the protection of our supply chain is of the upmost importance.

To mitigate risk to the supply chain, we have made the decision to suspend single bottle picks until further notice.

As I’m sure you can appreciate, our distribution centres continue to experience unprecedented volumes, coupled with declining staff numbers. While we have implemented measures such as overtime and additional shifts, and our team continue working hard to get product out the door as quickly and efficiently as possible, we are experiencing some challenges.

We are aware of the benefit this service provides to some of our customers and acknowledge this will impact some of you. However, we have to consider the amount of effort that is required to keep it running. By temporarily suspending single bottle picks, it allows our staff to focus singularly on meeting volume demand.

This wasn’t a decision we made lightly. Our partnerships are very important to us, and we are committed to working with you to ensure the best outcomes for your operations.

We thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this challenging and ever-changing situation.

We will be back tomorrow with another daily update. Find all past ABLE BC COVID-19 liquor industry updates here.