There will be no changes in store for Massachusetts alcohol sales in the near future after voters shut down an initiative that would ease statewide limits on the number of alcohol licenses one company can hold.
The referendum failed to gain enough support from Massachusetts voters, meaning the number of liquor licenses a single company can hold in the state will remain at nine.
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Massachusetts has an unusual system of regulating alcohol sales, with grocery stores and gas stations generally being unable to sell beer, wine, or liquor. Instead, residents go to “packies,” which are independently owned liquor stores licensed by the state.
The measure was seen as a move by packies to prevent efforts by food stores to remove the license cap altogether, which they have said would push them out of business, as liquor sales are where they make most of their money.
Food stores likely won’t be able to put forward their own ballot initiative to expand where liquor can be sold until 2028 because, per state law, any measure deemed too similar to a current one would be barred from appearing before voters for six years. Any changes before then could only be initiated by state lawmakers, who have historically been hesitant to take action on alcohol regulation.
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Several food industry groups that opposed the initiative, including the Massachusetts Food Association, Cumberland Farms, and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, had said a revised fine system would have placed a higher financial burden on them because it would’ve based fines for alcohol sale violations on the gross of all retail sales versus gross alcohol sales.
