Danvers Stop & Shop Will Soon Be Stocking Beer and Wine

The Super Stop & Shop in the Danvers Plaza off routes 1 and 62 could be stocking beer and wine in a month's time, following the Board of Selectmen's approval Tuesday night of a transfer of a package store alcohol license to the supermarket.

Town Clerk Joe Collins said since much of the paperwork and information submitted to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is now required at the outset of an application process, he anticipates it won't take more than 30 days for the ABCC to approve the transfer as well.

Representatives for Stop & Shop outlined a tight security plan Tuesday night for how beer and wine sales will be controlled at the store, including extra security cameras, electronic ID scanners at every cash register and carding every person who buys alcohol.

New England division director Scott Forbes said every register, including those in the self-checkout aisles, will also lock up automatically when a customer attempts to purchase a bottle of alcohol. A trained store employee will always be present to complete the transaction and check IDs.

He said multiple trained employees will be available to assist customers at the self-checkout aisles should customers flock there to make their alcohol purchases.

Forbes noted that installing the ID scanners, which can check a person's age and detect expired licenses, at all the registers in the store costs about $20,000. Beer and wine will also be confined to just two aisles -- 12 and 13 -- within the store and locked up until 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon on Sundays to comply with state liquor laws.

"We feel that there is a public need and convenience for this. Our customers continually ask us why don’t we sell beer and wine," said attorney Howard Wayne, adding that customers would like to be able to grab a bottle of wine to go with their dinner menu.

Wayne said Stop & Shop has held alcohol licenses at three of its stores --- Malden, Hingham and Quincy since 1992 and has never ran afoul of local licensing authorities or the ABCC.

Forbes said the Malden and Hingham stores have full liquor licenses, while the Quincy store is just beer and wine.    

Selectmen appeared satisfied with the measures and did not raise any major concerns at the proposal. Board member Dianne Langlais, speaking to the legislated limits on alcohol licenses, said every supermarket should be able to sell beer and wine.

Selectman Bill Clark noted that competing grocers Trader Joe's in Peabody and McKinnon's in Danvers have far exceeded the amount of alcohol sales they first anticipated when acquiring their licenses (McKinnon's received its license in 2011, Trader Joe's was last year).

Forbes said if the volume of sales becomes an issue, most likely he and the local managers will be back before the board with a revised layout to stock more alcohol.

Collins said that, according to financial information filed with the application, Stop & Shop paid $150,000 for the license.

The license was held by the Nguyens for 11 years from the time they first opened the Country Store & Wine Shoppe at 5 Wenham St. in Danvers. The Nguyen family was present Tuesday night, and Forbes indicated the sale would "help them out."