We’d like to remind you that April 1 marks a series of modernization changes affecting suppliers and their agents.
New wholesale pricing model
On April 1, 2026, a new wholesale pricing model will be implemented as part of the provincial government’s commitment to a more open, equitable, and competitive beverage alcohol marketplace that benefits consumers and businesses.
The new wholesale price will be determined by a cost-plus formula that adds taxes, mark-ups and fees to a beverage alcohol supplier’s quote.
Additional information, including FAQs, can be found on the pricing page. The LCBO wholesale pricing estimation tool can be found here. Questions regarding pricing should be directed to pricing@lcbo.com.
The next requote deadline is April 6, 2026 for an effective date of April 27, 2026. Wholesale price changes would be reflected from May 25, 2026.
A couple of reminders for brewers:
• Warehouse handling fee of $2.17 per case will apply to suppliers for all beer that is handled by LCBO warehouses. Brewers will begin to see the warehouse handling fees deducted from their payments.
• Brewers may continue to set a different price for beer for hospitality licensees, as stipulated in the Early Implementation Agreement.
• You have the ability to requote on a weekly basis.
Minimum Retail Pricing (MRP) – wine and cider indexed
Effective April 1, 2026, MRP for cider and wine (including wine‑based RTDs) will increase under O. Reg. 750/21. Minimum Retail Pricing requirements apply to retail prices including those at LCBO retail. Any products falling below the revised MRP at LCBO retail will be adjusted. LCBO retail listed products below the revised MRP will automatically be adjusted for April 1, 2026. Refer to the following MRP rates effective April 1, 2026.
LCBO becomes the exclusive wholesaler of record in Ontario resulting in changes for domestic brewers
NEW – effective April 1, 2026, brewery beer sales to hospitality licensees (e.g., bars and restaurants) will be subject to LCBO mark-ups.
Beer tax will continue to apply to beer that is sold to consumers through:
• Brewers Retail Inc. (The Beer Store retail locations)
• Authorized beer manufacturers’ on‑site retail stores
• Licensed brew pubs (only on draft beer manufactured by the brew pub)
In these cases, beer tax must be reported and remitted to the Ontario Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Starting April 1, 2026, LCBO becomes the exclusive wholesaler for all retail, bars and restaurants selling alcohol. This means that wholesale customers will purchase through LCBO or through an authorized distributor who facilitates sales on LCBO's behalf.
As a result of these changes, the following actions are required by Ontario brewers:
All domestic brewers that sell beer to LCBO Convenience Outlets (LCOs) that is not listed on wholesale.lcbo.com, must be listed on wholesale.lcbo.com or authorized under LCBO’s Direct Delivery Program.
All domestic brewers that currently sell directly to hospitality licensees must be authorized under the Direct Delivery Program, sold through the Beer Store (who is an authorized distributor and facilitates sales on LCBO's behalf), or be listed on wholesale.lcbo.com.
LCBO will host a Direct Delivery Program information session for brewers in early April; email invites will follow. In the meantime, direct any questions about the Direct Delivery Program to lcbo-policy@lcbo.com.
If brewers would like to list products on wholesale.lcbo.com, please contact wholesalecatalogue@lcbo.com for more information.
Dropshipping options for Ontario suppliers of LCBO wholesale customers
We will be expanding the dropshipping model currently available to Ontario suppliers of grocery and convenience stores to Ontario suppliers of other wholesale customers, including hospitality licensees, duty free and LCBO Convenience Outlets (LCO).
Dropshipping is an eCommerce fulfillment method where an online store – in this case, LCBO’s online ordering platform – sells products without physically stocking or shipping them. Ontario suppliers can choose to manage the fulfillment/delivery of their product themselves or they may continue to have the LCBO do so. Whoever manages fulfillment/delivery is referred to as the ‘supplying source’.
In addition to expanding dropshipping to more wholesale customers, Ontario suppliers will be able to decide if they want to manage some or all fulfillment and delivery for each SKU, by region and by customer type. This provides even greater flexibility.
For more information visit doingbusinesswithlcbo.com and to change fulfillment/delivery of your products, please contact wholesalecatalogue@lcbo.com.
LCBO Gateway launches – new way to action POs and view invoices and payments
Starting April 1, LCBO Gateway will replace Oracle iSupplier, WebPO, Direct Delivery Vendor Portal and Grocery Management System (for supplying sources). LCBO Gateway will be where suppliers action purchase orders, and view payments and invoices.
All identified users received an email on April 1 with the link to the system (and a reminder to complete multifactor authentication if they haven’t done so already).
Training resources can be found here and any support inquiries should either be submitted through a Support Request in LCBO Gateway or via LCBOgateway@lcbo.com (multifactor authentication, Gateway access).
Thank you for your understanding as we continue to transform our business to support the modernization of the beverage alcohol marketplace.