General FAQ

What is a LCBO Convenience Outlet?

LCBO Convenience Outlets provide socially responsible beverage alcohol service in communities where residents do not otherwise have reasonable access to an LCBO store. 

LCBO Convenience Outlets are not located in urban areas such as Toronto or in communities where a LCBO Store or Beer Store is within 5 kilometers.

The LCBO uses a competitive process to select a host business in the community. The host business is authorized by the LCBO to sell beverage alcohol in conjunction with other retail goods sold in the store. Beverage alcohol is not the focus of a LCBO Convenience Outlet but adjunct to the host business.

How are LCBO Convenience Outlet communities selected?

The LCBO, in consultation with the Government of Ontario, selects communities for LCBO Convenience Outlet service (not individual businesses). When selecting communities, several weighted factors are typically considered including the proximity to other beverage alcohol services. The current distance criterion is 5 km from an LCBO Store or a retail outlet of The Beer Store. Additionally, the LCBO factors in locations from communities that have made requests for an LCBO Store or for LCBO Convenience Outlet service.

Once the community has been identified, the LCBO releases a Request for Proposal (RFP) for retail businesses in those communities to apply for a LCBO Convenience Outlet authorization.

What is the LCBO’s Competitive Process for Business selection?

Responses will be processed and, subject to the selection process, an Operator may be selected for each Community.  Respondents should note that, given the number of Responses that LCBO anticipates receiving in response to an RFP, LCBO may not process and evaluate all Responses at the same time. 

At this time, the LCBO is not accepting any applications. If you would like to nominate your community or are a business owner that has an interest in applying, please email ConvenienceOutlets@lcbo.com

How does Past Performance for Current Store Operators impact the RFP?

As part of the technical criteria scoring, the LCBO will take into account the past performance of current store operators over the last five years.  Points will be deducted for letters of noncompliance sent by the LCBO to a current store operator.

Where can I find more information about the LCBO Convenience Outlet (Agency Store) Program?

Further inquiries can be directed to the LCBO Convenience Outlet Department via e-mail: ConvenienceOutlets@lcbo.com.

How do I make a request to the LCBO to have my community considered for LCBO Convenience Outlet service?

If your community is not on the current or newly expanded list of authorized communities and you would like your community considered for service in the future, please submit a written letter of interest to the LCBO Convenience Outlet Department outlining the community you are proposing, the type of business you operate and other pertinent information, such as the population size, distance to the closest LCBO/Beer Store outlets, tourism, etc.

Your letter of interest can be directed:

Via e-mail at ConvenienceOutlets@lcbo.com

The LCBO maintains all requests for a LCBO Convenience Outlet on file. Should the LCBO further expand its LCBO Convenience Outlet network beyond the expanded list of communities in June 2019, and should your community be selected, the LCBO will notify you directly of its community selection and provide further information about the LCBO's competitive process.

Pricing FAQ

Updated September 1, 2026

What products are impacted by the change to uniform pricing?

Starting June 1, LCBO Convenience Outlets can set their own retail prices for RTDs, cider and beer with an alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of 7.1% and under, and wine with an ABV of 18% and under. The ABV level is available in the SKU information when you complete your order. It’s also available on the product label and/or on lcbo.com.

All other products must continue to be uniform with LCBO retail prices. 

What is minimum retail pricing?

LCO must comply with minimum retail price rules, which is the lowest price retailers are able to sell beverage alcohol.

You can find more information here.

How do I determine what is an RTD?

A Ready-to-Drink products (RTD) includes seltzers, sodas, iced teas, coolers, canned and premixed cocktails. RTDs are identified under the category header of Ready to Drink on Wholesale.lcbo.com.

LCOs can set their own prices for RTDs 7.1% ABV and under.

Will there be any changes to warehousing or distribution as it relates to uniform pricing changes?

No, uniform pricing rules do not impact warehousing or distribution.

Will LCOs still be able to purchase products on LTO?

LCOs will continue to receive LCBO retail Limited Time Offers (LTOs).   

For products not subject to uniform pricing (i.e. you can set your own retail price):
If you purchased a product at a discount, you must pass the LTO value on to the customer. For example, if you purchased the product at $13, and the LTO is $1, you will pay $12 for the product. If you typically sell this product to consumers for $15, you will need to discount that inventory by $1 and sell it for $14.

For products that have uniform pricing (i.e. You cannot set your own retail price):
Regardless of whether you purchase the product at a discount, you must follow LCBO retail pricing. When a product is included in a LTO, LCBO will reduce both the retail price and the wholesale price by the same amount for the duration of the promotion. For example, if you purchased product for $13 in July, and then there is a $1 LTO discount in September, you may:

• Sell inventory you already have on hand at the discounted September retail price; and/or

• Purchase additional inventory during the LTO period at the reduced wholesale price of $12.

The key requirement is that you have sufficient inventory available to pass the LTO savings on to consumers during the promotional period.

Can we still see LCBO's retail prices?

Yes. You may continue to view LCBO’s retail prices on lcbo.com and via Price Bulletins on Doing Business with LCBO. All LCBO retail prices will also continue to be visible on wholesale.lcbo.com at this time.

For products with uniform pricing, the price in your point-of-sale (POS) system must match the LCBO retail price.

Do I still need to use Lexmark for items that are not uniformly priced?

No, for eligible Beer, Cider, RTD, and Wine products that are not subject to LCBO uniform pricing requirements, operators should establish shelf prices using their own processes and systems.

Do I still need to display taxes and deposits in my price for products that are not uniformly priced?

No, you do not need to include taxes and deposits in the price displayed for products that are not subject to uniform pricing. Note that taxes and deposits must still be included in the sale of the product.

New Authorization and Master Supply Agreement

Why has my LCO Agreement been replaced with an Authorization and Master Supply Agreement (MSA)? 

Separation of an LCO’s authorization to operate a store from the terms and conditions for purchasing product from the LCBO, aligns LCOs with LCBO’s other wholesale customers.

LCBO has replaced the previous LCO agreement with two separate documents: 

• The Authorization, which sets out the requirements and operating rules for participating in the LCO program.

• The MSA, which governs the purchase of products from LCBO and introduces payment terms. Master Supply Agreements are standard for all LCBO’s wholesale customers. 

How do payment terms work?

Starting August 1, when you place an order on wholesale.lcbo.com, you will not pay immediately. Instead, funds will be automatically withdrawn from your bank account (linked in Versa Pay) 30 days after the order date. You will receive a shipping confirmation email when each supplying source has confirmed shipment, and you will receive an invoice when the order is complete. If any of the products in your order are unavailable and do not ship, they will not appear on your invoice, and you will not be charged for them.

Can local producers still deliver directly to LCOs?

Yes. Some products on wholesale.lcbo.com are fulfilled and delivered directly by manufacturers under LCBO’s Supplying Source Program.

LCOs are also permitted to purchase product from authorized suppliers participating in LCBO’s Direct Delivery Program.

How do I get approved by the LCBO to offer product sampling?

Email ConvenienceOutlets@lcbo.com if you would like to offer product sampling in your LCO.   Training is required for all LCO employees that will be coordinating the sampling event in our LCO.  Additional information about sampling will also be available in your Operations Manual.

Can you explain the changes to the store layout requirements? 

The requirements around store layout in your new authorization are more flexible than your previous agreement. This means that alcohol can be displayed in more places within the LCO premises than before. It also means that LCOs will no longer be required to always have a seasonal display.