Reinforcing Responsible Retailing is Key to Defending our Reputation
By Anne Kothawala
As an industry that sells several age-restricted products, “responsible” is at the core of our reputation. If we want to be known as responsible retailers who are trusted in their communities, we must invest in ensuring that is the case.
The founding members of the CICC understood this very clearly and acted on it. We created ID Please, a training program for retailers by retailers. We started with tobacco and vaping. In anticipation of selling beverage alcohol in Ontario, we created a new module of ID Please: SABR (Selling Alcoholic Beverages Responsibly).
Last week our program received approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The course, which costs for CICC retail members $10 per employee (non-member fee $19), focuses on selling rather than serving alcohol, ensuring that retail employees are fully prepared for the September 5th launch of retail beverage alcohol sales in convenience stores across Ontario.
This is a significant win for the convenience industry as it shows both government and our customers that we are a responsible community of retailers when it comes to selling age-restricted products. This training translates into an impeccable track record in keeping these products out of the hands of youth.
But we must never take this for granted. Our goal is to work with regulators in other provinces to have the ID Please suite of programs accredited by them. It is an area of focus that falls under one of our strategic priorities which is to build influence via public awareness of the convenience channel and its role in our communities. In order to have the public’s trust, we need to demonstrate through action that we are responsible retailers.
It is a constant battle as governments often, despite our excellent track record, unfairly target us. Why? Simply because young people come into our stores, and we sell a number of age-restricted products.
We have witnessed this with the federal government’s suggestion that nicotine pouches should be pulled out of convenience stores. There is no evidence or data to support such a proposal, it is simply an easy way to be seen as doing something to address youth access. The evidence is quite clear: youth are accessing these products online from illegal websites where there is no age-gating.
But it is issues like these that reinforce why we need to focus on protecting our track record. All of us have a collective responsibility to ensure that our industry’s brand promise of being responsible retailers is upheld by our frontline staff. As the old adage goes, we are only as strong as our weakest link.
Anne Kothawala is the founding president & CEO of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada. She is a seasoned association executive with decades of experience in communication and government relations. CICC’s goal is to champion the convenience industry’s role in our communities and work for a business environment where all convenience businesses can succeed.
A Message from the Convenience Industry Council of Canada
Ontario’s convenience stores just got a whole lot cooler! Beverage alcohol is now available on our shelves, offering greater convenience and choice to consumers.
This achievement is a testament to the dedication and collaboration within our industry. The Convenience Industry Council of Canada has been advocating for this change for years and it’s incredibly rewarding to see our collective efforts bring about such a positive shift. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together as it will have a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
CICC President and CEO Anne Kothawala proudly joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy at a Collingwood On-the-Run, outfitted and ready to sell beverage alcohol, for an exciting launch day press event.
“This is a milestone for consumers and convenience stores in the province of Ontario,” states Anne Kothawala, president and CEO of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada. “It marks the end of antiquated, prohibition-era rules that have precluded the province’s 7,500 convenience stores from responsibly retailing beverage alcohol.”
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re also focused on the future. With Ontario leading the way, we’re committed to continuing our work to bring this level of convenience to other provinces across the country.
CICC has launched an online resource guide: Ontario Beverage Alcohol Resource Centre: https://www.onbeveragealcohol.ca/. Retailers can find details and quick answers on permissible sale hours, shelf space, advertising, inducements, enforcement, and more. CICC also has an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario approved training course available. Further information is available at https://conveniencetraining.com/courses/id-please-sabr.
