Foreword. All inquiries relative to the Board s marketing policies and procedures should be directed to the appropriate department.

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2 Foreword The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is proud to fulfill an obligation of value and service to our customers and all the citizens of the Commonwealth. If we are to continue to meet this obligation, it is essential that we keep abreast of consumer demands and the rapidly changing concept of modern American merchandising. We cannot overstate the importance of utilizing the best business practices and maintaining the highest standards in procuring products to stock the shelves of our Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits Stores. This booklet should serve as a reference guide for vendors presently conducting business with the Board and should also acquaint new and prospective vendors with the Board s marketing policies and procedures. All inquiries relative to the Board s marketing policies and procedures should be directed to the appropriate department. PAGE 2

3 Mission Statement Bureau of Product Selection To seek out best practices and translate them into a profitable and efficient business model that strives to meet the needs and preferences of the beverage alcohol consumer. Table of Contents Stock Listing Policies 5,6 Size Listing Consideration 7 New Item Follow-Up 7 Removal of Listed Stock Items 8 Stock Contact Information 9 Luxury Product Management 10 Luxury Contact Information 11 Chairman s Selection 12 E-Commerce Website 12 Vendor Allowances 13, 14 Mail-In Rebate Requirements 15 Instant Redeemable Coupon Procedures 16,17 Changes in Cost, Specifications & Labels of Listed Items 18 Changes in Cost 18 Changes in Specifications/UPC Requirements 19 Special Orders 20 Standard Quotation and Specification Form 21,22,23 Instructions and Conditions 24 V.A. Notification Form Sample 25 On-Pack Request Form 26 Rebate Offer Form Sample 27 Special Liquor Quotation Sample 28 PAGE 3

4 Stock Listing Policies The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board reviews listing proposals twice each calendar year for new stock items, a winter and spring listing. Listing proposals will only be accepted during the open listing periods. The Board reserves the right to alter this policy when conditions warrant. Listing periods will be announced via message to all vendors on our distribution list. To request the addition of an address to the distribution list, please contact one of the Category Managers. Each listing announcement will contain instructions, a New Item Submission Sheet, information, and deadlines specific to each listing period. In order to submit a listing proposal, you must have a Pennsylvania Vendor Permit. If you do not have a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Vendor Permit, the first requirement is that you have a license from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Check your telephone directory for the office nearest you or visit After obtaining your Federal permit, you may request the necessary applications from the Bureau of Licensing at (717) A vendor s permit fee of $ and a filing fee of $ are required when submitting the completed application. Payment of the licensing fees does not guarantee the listing of your product. If you are presently licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a vendor representative, a listing submission must include the following elements: 1. New Item Submission Sheet all items from the same vendor should be submitted on one form sent to the resource account as specified in the listing announcement. 2. A non-refundable listing submission fee of $ per item, per size, in the form of a check made payable to the PLCB. A list of the item(s) being submitted should accompany the check. Please mail the check and list of item(s) to Gwen Weihbrecht, Room 217 NWOB, Harrisburg PA This fee covers all of our administrative costs in reviewing the feasibility of the product, and getting the product ordered and into store distribution. Payment of the listing fees does not guarantee the listing of your product. 3. The Board reserves the right to reject late submissions. 4. Items will be pre-scored based on category roles assigned to each marketing category and price segment. 5. Items successfully passing the initial scoring will be invited to formally present to the Category Manager. PAGE 4

5 6. At the formal presentation the following is needed: Two (2) copies of a properly completed Standard Quotation and Specification Form (see example on pages 21 & 22) for each item, one copy of the front and back label of the product, any other information the vendor deems appropriate, product sample(s), and a copy of the New Item Submission Sheet only if there have been changes since the form was submitted. 7. The Standard Quotation and Specification Form can be downloaded from 8. Special notice should be taken of the Standard Contract Terms and Conditions for Purchase Orders, which must be read and agreed to before the Standard Quotation and Specification Form can be accessed. Imported items can be quoted F.O.B., a U.S. shipping point, destination freight paid, or on an In-Bond basis. 9. Please submit samples according to the following guide: Samples needed for a New Listing: Wines 2 Spirits 1 Samples needed for a Line Extension Listing: Wines / Spirits 1 10.The Category Manager will attempt to discourage vendors/suppliers from presenting a product that does not meet the needs of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. However, the vendor/supplier may still wish to submit the product, with the understanding that the Category Manager will present the product with a recommended rejection. 11.The Category Managers will make their recommendation to accept or reject an item based on several key factors, including price segment growth, category growth, projected annual profit per store, and marketing support being provided by the vendor/supplier. 12.The Director of Product Selection will submit recommendations to the Board for official decision. 13. Vendors who have submitted items for consideration will be notified in writing of the results of the Board s decision with respect to their individual items. Telephone requests for information will not be honored prior to Board decision. PAGE 5

6 Size Listing Consideration The Board will entertain all sizes for consideration with the smallest size of 50ml (1.7 oz.) to the largest size of 5.0L (169.0 oz.) for still wine and 6.0 L (202.8 oz.) for Sparkling Wine and Champagne. Size extensions will follow the same listing calendar as all other items. New Item Follow-up Newly listed items will be reviewed three periods after the Board approval date to ensure that inventory has arrived in the appropriate stores. New products will be reviewed again six periods after the product is listed. The Category Managers will be checking to make sure that all marketing support that was initially offered by the vendor has taken place. The Category Managers will contact vendors who have not followed through on their initial commitments. Marketing support follow through will be reviewed again at 13 periods. The Category Managers may recommend that a product be delisted at that time if it is underperforming and/or marketing support commitment has not been executed. To determine if a product is underperforming, the Category Managers will compare the actual cases sold per store to the projected cases per store indicated by vendor. Other factors, such as case and profit share and item trend, may be considered. PAGE 6

7 Removal of Listed Stock Items Product categories are reviewed and evaluated against performance standards. This allows for more efficient management of assortment and space, while providing reasonable time to remove delisted products prior to the introduction of new listings. To have the ability to offer new products and to increase supply chain efficiencies, it is necessary to remove products that do not contribute significantly to the Board s profits and do not enhance the overall product selection. If an item is determined by the vendor to be unprofitable or inconsistent with its present marketing philosophy, the vendor may request that an item be delisted. The Board will not willingly delist any item that has been well received by the public in Pennsylvania. If the vendor, however, has decided to withdraw the item from the national market, the Board will, of course, comply with a request for delisting. The Director of Product Selection will submit recommendations for delisting to the Board for official decision. Vendors will be notified in writing of the delisting of their respective items. The Board also reserves the right to request a voluntary delist of listed codes which have consistent out of stock situations for more than two periods. Suppliers are encouraged to allocate sufficient stock of listed codes to the Commonwealth.. PAGE 7

8 Stock Contact Information Pam Bernd Chief, Product/Category Management Division Ron Murphy Spirit Category Manager Christine Leiby Domestic Wine Category Manager Sue Schneider Import Wine Category Manager Cocktail Mixes (NA) Beverage New Zealand Bourbon Economy Australia Blended Whiskey Wine Coolers French Canadian Whiskey Cider Italian Scotch All US German Irish Whiskey PA/NY Chile Brandy WA/OR Argentina Cognac 4 Packs Other Imports Vodka US Sparkling Asian Gin Alternative Size Box Spanish Rum 5 L Box South Africa Tequila Kosher Cordials Imported Sparkling Prepared Cocktails Asti PAGE 8

9 Luxury Product Management Luxury Product wines are personally selected by our Luxury Product Team. The Luxury Product Management Division utilizes the PA Wine & Spirits buying power and strong relationships with wineries and supplier all over the world to distribute high quality, and unique wines to our 77 Premium Collection stores located strategically throughout the commonwealth. A number of these selections are highly allocated wines from many of the world s top producers. The products are managed geographically and reviewed for soundness, price/value relationship, and market appeal. The luxury division reviews wines during offering periods throughout the calendar year to insure a constant flow of the world s best wines into our premium collection stores. Our mission of the luxury division is to deliver an exceptional selection of wines to our customers that can compete with any high quality wine retailer around the world. PAGE 9

10 Luxury Contact Information Steve Thomas Chief, Luxury Product Management Division Jennifer Brown Moira O Neal Steve Reso Category Manager Category Manager Category Manager jennibrown@pa.gov moneal@pa.gov sreso@pa.gov France California Italy Germany Oregon Spain Austria Washington Portugal Misc. Europe Misc. SA Jackie Spironello Betty Kreder Category Manager Category Manager jspironell@pa.gov bkreder@pa.gov Lee Boltz Category Manager eboltz@pa.gov South America Luxury Spirits Wine Club Australia Spirits Club (future) Kosher New Zealand Sake South Africa Rice/Plum Wines US Fruit Wines China/Japan PA Wines Canada PAGE 10

11 Chairman s Selection The Chairman s Selection program wines are hand selected, using PA Wine & Spirits Stores buying power and longstanding relationships with wineries, to provide savvy consumers both world-renowned wines and undiscovered gems. Chairman s Selection are typically a minimum of 40 percent below nationally quoted prices, often at the best prices nationwide or exclusive to Pennsylvania. You may present wines for the Chairman s Selection program to: RA-LBProductSelect@pa.gov E-Commerce Website Our E-Commerce website seeks to offer consumers highly allocated items where only one to five cases may be available in Pennsylvania. The site often looks for products from small producers and start-ups looking to enter the market with a unique product. Collector s items, eclectic merchandise and niche products are also considered. You may present items for the E-Commerce site to: ra-lbpawineandspirits@pa.gov PAGE 11

12 Vendor Allowances (Formerly Special Purchase Allowances) Following are the details of the Board s monthly Vendor Allowance (VA) program: 1. A code can only be entered by the vendor once per quarter or 4 times per year. Check with your respective category manager for more information. 2. Each month a limited number of selected codes will be designated for floor displays. Selection of these items will be based on volume potential, profitability and marketing support. All other approved promotional items will be for shelf-only sales. 3. All VA offers must be submitted through the Quarterly SPA Submittal Form to the following address: RA-lbpromo@pa.gov. 4. The final decision on when and what products will be on sale within each quarter is at the discretion of the Bureau of Product Management. Category managers may decide to assign consecutive month VAs when deemed to be an advantage to the Board. 5. All approved VA offers must be submitted monthly through the Vendor Allowance Portal. If a vendor does not currently have online access, VA offers should be submitted quarterly to the Bureau of Product Management on the proper VA Notification form (see example on page 25). PAGE 12

13 Vendor Allowances Calendar PAGE 13

14 Mail-In Rebate Requirements The following guidelines have been established for rebate offerings: 1. All mail-in rebates must be issued for a period of at least 90 days and must be submitted to Bonnie Hedrick bhedrick@pa.gov in the Bureau of Product Selection 60 days prior to the requested initiation date. Rebates will not be accepted without completing the Request for Manufacturer s Rebate Offer Form (see example on page 27). This form can also be found on the PLCB website under For Industry Partners, Forms. 2. All mail-in rebates shall only be available through Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Stores after approval and must contain the following: Expiration date of the rebate (preferably on front side and in large print). The rebate value. Provision for the name and address of the individual redeeming the rebate. The identity of the manufacturer or manufacturer s agent. A description of the product including but not limited to the Brand name and size. A warning statement that the purchase of the product and the rebate offer is to persons 21 years of age or older. NOTE: All rebates must be distributed to all stores with distribution of the product, either delivered by the vendor representative or mailed. 3. All mail-in rebate offers must require submission of proof of purchase in the form of a cash register receipt. PAGE 14

15 Instant Redeemable Coupons 1. Coupons should be submitted 90 days in advance to be considered for floor priority. All other coupons should be submitted 60 days in advance. Coupons should be submitted in PDF format to: A completed Instant Redeemable Coupon (IRC) worksheet should be attached to include information about the quantity of coupons to be distributed, contact information and vendor-of-record. This form is available at under For Industry Partners, Forms. Coupons will not be accepted for Licensee orders or SLO products. 2. Coupons submitted should conform to GS1US (formerly Uniform Code Council) guidelines for coding purposes. The UPC coding on the coupon must match the offer described on the front of the coupon. If there is a graphic on the coupon, it needs to match the wording. Coupon bar codes must be at least 1 inch wide and 10/16 inches in height. A bar code must be printed on all coupons. All coupons must be Type 5. (See the diagram at the end of these instructions.) Each IRC must indicate that it is a manufacturer s coupon with a clearly visible expiration date. No double couponing must appear either on the front or back of the coupon. The word INSTANT should appear prominently on the front coupon. Coupon should include the description of the product, specifically brand name and size. The identity/address of the manufacturer must appear in the Retailer section of the coupon. A warning statement regarding age to purchase alcoholic products must appear on the coupon. Coupons must be printed on glossy paper, not standard cardstock, to avoid unauthorized or fraudulent duplication. Coupons must be designed to hang on the bottles. Coupons that stick to bottles with adhesive or involve rub-offs to expose the value of the offer are not acceptable. A statement regarding restrictions, if applicable, should appear. The minimum value of a coupon offer on alcoholic products is $1.00. Buy One Get One Free offers are not allowed. Item Family Code information must be entered by the vendor through the Industry Partners link on the website. Failure to enter item family code information may result in scanning errors and loss of information for vendors. Family codes must be between 010 and 989. PAGE 15

16 NOTE: These digits represent place, not the value that should be entered, except for the Coupon NSC number. That should always be a 5. Changes in Cost, Specifications & Labels of Listed Items The Board must be advised of any changes in cost, specifications or packaging before shipment of such merchandise is made to the Board s distribution centers. In the event, however, that such unauthorized shipment is made, no distribution to stores of this new merchandise will be made until the Board has approved all changes. In some instances, this merchandise will be put into the vendor s private account in the Board s warehouses until arrangements have been made to return merchandise back to the vendor. PAGE 16

17 Changes in Cost A completed Standard Quotation and Specification Form must be submitted to the Bureau of Product Selection whenever a vendor desires to change the invoice cost, or any element that makes up this invoice cost, of any listed item. The Board will accept cost increases on a quarterly basis, and they must be submitted based on the following schedule. COST INCREASE DATE SUBMISSION DATE May 1 February 1 August 1 May 1 November 1 August 1 February 1 November 1 Cost increases will not be accepted on newly listed items until they have been in our system for at least one year. The Board reserves the right to reject any price increase. Cost decreases may be submitted at any time and are effective when approved by the Board. Changes in Specifications/ UPC Requirements a listed item other than cost that would affect any of the descriptive information that appears on the Standard Quotation and Specification Form constitutes a change in specification. For each specification change, a completed Standard Quotation and Specification Form indicating the change and one copy of the front and back label must be submitted to the appropriate Category Manager in the Bureau of Product Selection. Some changes may be considered minor and the new product can replace the existing product immediately. The following are examples of minor changes: The product has a minor change in proof level. The product inside the bottle is the same, but the artwork on the label changes. Other changes may be considered more significant and could make the product unique from its predecessor in which case a request for a new listing may be necessary. PAGE 17

18 The following are examples of significant changes that make the product unique from the predecessor: The product has a significant change in proof level. The product is the same varietal but from a different appellation. Final determination of what constitutes a significant change will be made by the Director of Product Selection. If the new product is determined to be unique from its predecessor and the changes are considered significant, a new UPC should be assigned to the new product. The PLCB reserves the right to reject a product if a new UPC is not assigned. The PLCB may choose to allow the supplier to begin shipping the new product immediately in place of the old one if it is deemed to be in the best interests of the PLCB. This will be determined on a case by case basis and will likely only be granted to category leaders. All other new products must be submitted for listing consideration based on the published PLCB listing calendar. New listing submission guidelines apply and a listing of the new product is not guaranteed. Special Orders nder the provisions of the Liquor Code, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is required to obtain any available brand or type of liquor/wine that is not stocked by the Board for customers in Pennsylvania in the vendor s minimum shipping quantity. The vendor s minimum shipping quantity is the least number of bottles that the vendor is willing to ship to any location in this state. The minimum quantity may be as small as one bottle or as large as a case. Vendors are strongly encouraged to participate with less than a solid case minimum quantity. Any merchandise which is not stocked by the Board can be offered for sale via Special Order by the vendor. Items offered for sale by vendors authorized to operate in Pennsylvania are listed on the PLCB website. If a vendor wishes to offer a product for special order sale, a quote form must be submitted to the Special Order Division. This form can be obtained by calling If a vendor has been approved for online access, the quotation must be filed online. A separate quotation is required for each product and for each size of the same product. As stated on the quotation, the cost quoted by the vendor must be the delivered cost to any point in Pennsylvania. Delivery charges must be paid by the vendor and must be listed separately as indicated on the quotation. The delivery charges must be uniform to any point in the state. The delivery charges may include only the actual cost of delivery from the F.O.B. shipping point to receiving point. Delivery may be made by a licensed carrier selected by the vendor. For more information, please contact: ra-lbslo@pa.gov PAGE 18

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21 SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS: Instructions & Conditions 1. Permit numbers and appointment times are required for all shipments to each Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) Distribution Center. Each delivery vehicle must include a manifest. Each manifest must include the following: a) PLCB requested delivery date b) PLCB permit number c) PLCB purchase order number d) Number of cases by PLCB code number e) Total number of cases on the manifest. 2. Each case shipped to the PLCB must be labeled with the following: a) Shipping Container Code (SCC) EAN/UCC-14 barcode and readable must appear on two adjacent sides of each case b) PLCB code number must appear on one end of each case c) A brief product description (including brand name, size, proof or vintage) must appear on one end of each case d) Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode and readable must appear on one end of each case NOTE: Details on case code label requirements and examples can be found on the PLCB website at under For Industry Partners, Supply Chain. PAGE 21

22 V.A. NOTIFICATION FORM REQUEST FOR APPROVAL INSTRUCTIONS: Each code must be submitted on a separate form. Send completed form to: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Bureau of Product Selection Room 218 Northwest Office Building Harrisburg, PA Date Submitted: 9/19/2005 Vendor of Record for Product: ABC Winery Contact Person: John Smith Phone: Circle one: Domestic Import CODE BRAND NAME SIZE CASE DISCOUNT AMOUNT REQUESTED PASS- THRU MONTH 0000 XYZ Shiraz 750ml $ January 2006 Retail $ Suggested Discount $ _2.00 Suggested Sale Price $ PAGE 22

23 Instructions: ON-PACK REQUEST FORM Rev. Dec All requests must be submitted with an actual picture or sample. (All on-packs with a 50 ml attached must submit a sample.) 2 Each item must be submitted on a separate form. 3 Submit request thirty-days (30) prior to shipping date with all information requested. 4 Send complete information to: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Bureau of Product Selection - Room 218 Northwest Office Building Harrisburg, PA DATE SUBMITTED VENDOR OF RECORD FOR PRODUCT COMPANY SUBMITTING FORM CONTACT PERSON TELEPHONE CODE NUMBER SIZE BRAND NAME WITH DESCRIPTION NUMBER OF CASES AVAILABLE SCC # CASE WEIGHT (LBS) CASES PER PALLET CASES PER LAYER CASE HEIGHT (INCHES) CASE WIDTH (INCHES) CASE LENGTH (INCHES) SHIPPING POINT DATE SHIPPING ** Failure to provide complete information may cause cases to be re-labeled or returned at Supplier expense.** PAGE 23

24 rev 10/08 PENNSYLVANIA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD Request for Manufacturer's Rebate Offer BUREAU OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Each brand must be submitted on a separate form 2. Original coupons must be attached 3. Must be submitted sixty (60) days prior to requested starting date 4. completed form and attachments to Larry Taliani - lataliani@pa.gov 5. If you do not have capability, send completed form and materials to: PA Liquor Control Board Bureau of Product Management Room 503, Northwest Office Building Harrisburg, PA REQUESTED STARTING MONTH: EXPIRATION DATE: VENDOR OF RECORD FOR PRODUCT: COMPANY SUBMITTING FORM: CONTACT PERSON: TELEPHONE: REBATE START DATE: REBATE EXPIRATION DATE: CLEARING HOUSE NAME & ADDRESS: LIST ALL CODES INCLUDED IN THIS REBATE PROGRAM BELOW: CODE BRAND SIZE REBATE AMOUNT PAGE 24

25 /PLCB-351 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD SPECIAL LIQUOR ORDER QUOTATION BUREAU OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SPECIAL PURCHASES SECTION Date: Today 2005 PRICES PER UNIT Quoted below is the cost per unit to any point in Pennsylvania including prepaid express delivery, all federal taxes and other charges as per information requested. No state taxes are included in quoted costs. BRAND NAME Anyone Chardonnay UNIVERSAL NUMERIC CODE NO CLASS: Whiskey, Gin, Wine, etc. Wine PROOF or ALCOHOLIC CONTENT TYPE: Bourbon, Rye, Port, etc California Chardonnay AGE or VINTAGE SPECIFICATIONS, if a blend PRODUCED BY Anyone Vineyards ADDRESS Anywhere Drive BOTTLED BY Somewhere Else Company ADDRESS Any City State Zip Please submit herewith one (1) front and one (1) back label. MINIMUM ORDER BOTTLE SIZES Actual ml per bottle 750ml Unit Pack 12 Net Cost FOB Shipping Point Total Cost FOB Shipping Point Delivery Cost 1.50 Total Invoice Cost FEDERAL ID# VENDOR Anyone Vineyards ADDRESS Any City, State Zip SIGNATURE TITLE President FOR PLCB USE ONLY Type Code Released Price File PAGE 25