Dollar Stores Applying to Sell Wine in Arkansas

Based on reports from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, it appears several Dollar General Stores in Arkansas have applied for permits to sell wine in recent weeks.

Act 508 of 2017 lets grocery stores in Arkansas sell wine.

Prior to Act 508’s passage, grocery stores in Arkansas were limited to selling beer and small quantities of locally produced wine, at most.

Since Act 508 passed two and a half years ago, we’ve seen massive expansions of alcohol inventory in major grocery stores like Kroger.

This year we’re seeing a similar expansion among Dollar General Stores.

Since July, at least 52 Dollar General stores in Arkansas have applied for Grocery Store Wine permits with the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

The stores are located in cities and towns across Arkansas, including:

  • Alexander
  • Altus
  • Amity
  • Arkadelphia
  • Avoca
  • Benton
  • Bergman
  • Camden
  • Decatur
  • Farmington
  • Fayetteville
  • Fort Smith
  • Fountain Lake
  • Gentry
  • Gravette
  • Harrison
  • Hot Springs
  • Lafe
  • Lead Hill
  • Little Rock
  • Midway
  • Morrilton
  • Mountain Home
  • Palestine
  • Paragould
  • Pine Bluff
  • Pocahontas
  • Prairie Grove
  • Rogers
  • Salesville
  • Scranton
  • Sherwood
  • Siloam Springs
  • Springdale
  • Taylor
  • Tontitown

In 2017 we said Act 508 would simply mean more alcohol in stores where children and families shop. It appears that prediction has come true.

Download the reports from the Department of Finance: 10/4/2019, 9/6/2019, 7/26/2019, & 7/19/2019

Kroger Expands Wine Sales

Over the weekend one of our staff members captured this photo at a Kroger store in the North Little Rock area. It shows the expanded wine selection the store now sells under a law the Arkansas Legislature passed last spring.

According to our staff member, this section of the store “was all baby food and diapers, from one end down the other” before Kroger converted it into a wine section.

Why Does This Matter?

Many are concerned that this could set the stage for legislation down the road letting grocery stores in Arkansas sell hard liquor the way grocery stores in states like Missouri do.

Prior to this year, grocery stores in wet counties were generally limited to selling a few wines produced by small farms in Arkansas. Act 508 of 2017 lets grocery stores sell wines from other states, like California.

Last spring we said Act 508 would simply mean more alcohol in stores where children and families shop. It appears that prediction has come true.