City officials will not dispute Kroger's soon-to-be status as Athens' main supplier of high-proof liquor, and an Ohio government spokesman said he expects the transfer to be complete by the end of the month.
Yesterday, city officials decided not to comment on a contract liquor agency transfer from Lucky Dog Carry-Out & Liquor Agency, 309 W. Union St., to Kroger, 919 E. State St., which was approved last month by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.
We are not going to offer any negative comment
said Athens City Councilman Jim Sands, D-at Large. We have the choice of no response which is what we are doing in this case.
City officials had until yesterday to respond to the agency's approval of the application.
Generally we have to have a reason to (object to a transfer) that's something other than we don't like Kroger and we don't want to go there to get our booze
Council President Bill Bias said.
The contract transfer will allow Kroger to sell spirituous, intoxicating liquor containing more than 21 percent alcohol by volume.
Lucky Dog, currently one of two approved liquor-sale agencies in Athens County, made a profit of about $218,000 last year from the sale of high-proof liquor, said Matt Mullins, spokesman for state Liquor Control. The other high-proof liquor agency in Athens County is Nelsonville's The Pit Stop Drive-Thru.
We're looking forward to being able to offer that additional commodity to our customers
said Amy McCormick, spokeswoman for the Kroger Company.
Mark Meredith, owner of Lucky Dog, declined to comment through an employee.
In 2010, Lucky Dog sold 258,848 gallons of high-proof liquor to both individuals and bars, which in total grossed more than $4.2 million, according to agency documents.
However, the liquor-sale agency only receives a four percent commission for wholesale profits and a six percent commission for retail profits - the rest of the money accumulated is given to the agency, Mullins said.
Now that no objections have been filed, agency officials will conduct a final inspection of the new site, Mullins said, adding that officials will also audit Lucky Dog's inventory of spirituous liquor.
Dates have not been set for the final inspection and audit, he said.
Once the final inspection and audit are finished, a date will be set to transfer inventory from Lucky Dog to Kroger, with agency officials present. Although Mullins said he did not know exactly when the transfer would be complete, he said it wouldn't take too long.
I would imagine the transfer would be complete before the end of the month
Mullins said.
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Alex Stuckey
