The Liquor Control Board last year delivered strong returns at the cash register and record revenue to the state Treasury. Sales at Pennsylvania's state-operated Wine & Spirits stores increased by $60 million in fiscal year 2010-11, reaching a record $1.96 billion – a four-percent increase year over year. Those sales generated more than $496 million in sales tax, liquor tax and profit transfers for the commonwealth – the largest General Fund infusion in the history of the PLCB.
"Never in the history of this agency has the PLCB delivered such strong returns," said Patrick "P.J." Stapleton III, chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. "We are gratified to be contributing so materially to Pennsylvania's budget. And observers of our growth know it hasn't happened by accident. For the last four years, this leadership team has implemented a strategy to run the PLCB more like a business – and these numbers are the result."
"And we're generating those business returns while still directing substantial resources to our unique social mission: best-in-class prevention programs to limit underage alcohol use, and alcohol-education efforts – initiatives that directly and positively impact Pennsylvania's quality of life."
The PLCB's four-percent sales growth puts the LCB at the top of its peer group. The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, NABCA, – which represents the nation's 19 alcohol-control states – reports that the average sales growth over the last year for those states stood at three-percent. Stapleton was named director of the NABCA earlier this year.
As PLCB Chairman, Stapleton noted he was particularly proud of the enormous growth of the Chairman's Selection™ wine program – with sales now exceeding $50 million – a 19-percent increase year over year. Overall, wine sales were up 4.8% system wide. Chairman's Selection™ wines offer premium wines at tremendous value, allowing wine buyers to find highly rated favorites or undiscovered gems, often at the best prices nationwide.
The PLCB transferred more than $20 million last year to the Pennsylvania State Police for liquor law enforcement. In addition, since 1999, the PLCB's Bureau of Alcohol Education has awarded over $4.5 million in grants to 246 colleges and universities, police departments, and other organizations to combat underage and dangerous drinking.
Since 2001, the Responsible Alcohol Management Program, RAMP, has trained nearly 20,000 owners/managers and more than 133,000 server/sellers in how to responsibly sell alcohol to customers. With preventing sales to minors as its top priority, PLCB store employees in 2010 checked the identification of nearly one million suspected minors at its more than 600 stores statewide.
