Harrisburg, Pa — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today released its 2014-15 Annual Report and Retail Year in Review, two publications that provide insight into agency operations and sales.
The Annual Report, now in its third year, provides detailed information about each area of the PLCB’s operations including store operations, licensing, marketing and merchandising, finance, supply chain, information technology, alcohol education and personnel. The document is filled with statistics and descriptions intended to shed light on how the agency works, where the money it generates goes and the unique challenges the agency faces.
Some of the highlights of the Annual Report include:
- A one-page summary showing where the PLCB’s money goes and how proceeds are distributed
- A five-year financial summary of store operations, including personnel costs and revenue
- A breakout of the top 10 product categories and individual products, based on annual sales statewide
- A breakdown of the 66,833 license and permit applications processed and 6,919 investigations completed, as well as a breakout of all retail licenses by county
- A summary of Bureau of Alcohol Education grants and efforts to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking
The Retail Year in Review is a detailed analysis of wine and spirits sales at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in Pennsylvania. It showcases sales by product category, individual products, counties, stores and sales periods. Tracking consumer tastes across Pennsylvania and beverage alcohol industry trends enables the PLCB to analyze and improve its selection of quality products at competitive prices in more than 600 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across the state.
The 2014-15 Retail Year in Review includes the following findings:
- Just five of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties account for almost half – 48 percent – of the state’s total wine and spirits sales.
- The vodka product category leads sales statewide, representing 13.17 percent of total sales for the year.
- December 2014 and November 2014 were the highest sales months of the retail year, with 12.69 percent and 9.08 percent of annual sales, respectively.
- Fireball Cinnamon Whisky 750 mL topped the list of products for units sold last retail year, while Jack Daniel’s Old Number 7 Tennessee Whiskey 750 mL achieved the highest dollar sales among individual products.
- Fulton and Juniata counties showed the highest sales increases over the prior year, with 11.34 percent and 9.12 percent growth, respectively.
To save on costs, a limited number of copies of each report, both produced in-house, are printed. Both reports are available at www.lcb.state.pa.us.
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling more than $14.5 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, and the PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.
