Safeway, Walmart Lead Charge For Liquor Sales In Grocery Stores

· Oct. 21, 2015, 2:30 pm

Photo: Beer for sale in King Soopers — Colorado-made craft beer for sale at the King Soopers in Glendale. Colorado law allows a business to own only one liquor license, meaning chains need to choose which location can sell full-strength beer and wine. A coalition of grocery stores is trying to change that.

The Denver Post reports that the group headed by King Soopers, Safeway and Walmart is drafting ballot language to expand sales outside of liquor stores.

The Your Choice Colorado coalition will debut its initiative Wednesday in Denver, though exact wording of the 2016 ballot initiative is unclear.

The initiative comes after years of indecision at the General Assembly, where a bill to expand alcohol sales to supermarkets was defeated as recently as 2011.

Craft brewers who oppose the change say the current system has played a major part in growing the state's craft brewing industry, and worry that a change would close liquor stores and cut brewers' profits.

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