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Launch of new craft beers, sales at Winnipeg brewery affected as liquor labour dispute continues
Global News
As the labour dispute between Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and its workers continues, impacts of the strike are being felt by local breweries and customers.
As the labour dispute between Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) and its workers continues, impacts of the strike are being felt by local breweries and customers during one of their busiest times of the year.
Torque Brewing’s new seasonal New England IPA won’t be hitting Manitoba Liquor Mart shelves in time for the August long weekend.
The labour disruption means the launch of new beers is at a standstill, Torque’s co-founder and operations manager Matthew Wolff said Wednesday.
“(The IPA) should have been already, potentially even last week, available to a lot of Liquor Mart stores,” he said.
Apart from MBLL employees striking outside their King Edward Street distribution centre Wednesday, workers returned to Liquor Marts, after some were locked out of select stores Tuesday.
The labour disruption has left some inventory, such as spirits and wines, in need of restocking.
In a news release issued Wednesday, MBLL says it’s being forced to close six Liquor Mart Express stores starting Thursday morning at 7 a.m. until further notice, including those on Winnipeg’s Bison Drive, Gateway Road, Reenders Drive, Sargent Avenue and St. Anne’s Road along with the Brandon West End Liquor Mart Express.
“Keeping Liquor Marts open and stocked is a priority to ensure liquor products remain available to Manitobans and the two thousand, mostly small, local businesses that rely on liquor sales to support their own operations,” MBLL’s president and CEO, Gerry Sul, said in the release.