SUNDAY SALES BEGIN SEPTEMBER
4, 2005 IN 2O STATE STORES - PULLMAN NOT INCLUDED
August 19, 2005
(OLYMPIA) - Twenty state liquor stores will participate in a two-year pilot program to determine if Sunday sales are economically feasible. The pilot program will begin on Sept. 4, 2005.
A list of the state stores chosen to participate in the program is included with this news release. It also will be posted on the Liquor Control Board's website www.liq.wa.gov along with a copy of the bill, the bill's fiscal note and two fact sheets included at the bottom of this release
The 20 state stores will open from noon to 5 p.m. except on Sundays falling on state holidays. The fiscal note for the Sunday Sales bill estimated that opening 20 state stores on Sundays would increase the Liquor Control Board's annual gross sales by $3.87 million in FY 06 and $5.68 million FY 07.
This $9.55 million increase in gross sales is expected to produce about $3.7 million in additional revenue returned to the during the two-year pilot program. About 25 percent of this will be sent directly to health and prevention programs.
The Sunday sales legislation authorized the Board to select stores with the greatest Sunday revenue potential based on current retail sales levels, population density, proximity to shopping centers, and proximity to other businesses open on Sunday.
The pilot program will compare the expense of opening stores on Sunday to the amount of additional sales generated. It also will measure whether Sunday sales negatively impact sales in state and contract stores near the 20 pilot stores. A final report on the project is due to the Legislature Jan. 31, 2007.
The stores selected are in the state's most populated urban areas. Store 186, a new store at 2401 W. Wellesley, Spokane, was selected because it has the best performance potential in Spokane.
