FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dean R. Argo
(334) 213-6330
Daniel Dye
(334) 290-4259
ABC Board Successfully
Operates During Pandemic; Sets Financial Milestone
Agency Sales Surpass $596 million
in Fiscal Year 2020
Faced with challenges during a global pandemic, The Alabama
Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board continued to fulfill its 84-year mission
to protect and support the public’s health, safety, and welfare by regulating
the distribution, import, manufacture, delivery and sale of alcoholic beverages.
In a year underscored by uncertainty, operational
efficiencies kept the state agency’s 800+ employees working. The result was a
record year for sales and funding collected by ABC that are used to fund
numerous state agencies, county and city governments and others.
“From day one of this pandemic, our main concern is the
health and safety of our customers and employees,” ABC Administrator Mac Gipson
said. “We have continued to follow state recommendations as it relates to
providing our employees and customers a safe environment in which to work and
shop. I am proud of our family of nearly 900 employees who continue to find
ways to ensure ABC operates in an efficient manner that serves the customer and
reduces expenses.”
ABC Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 gross revenues for retail,
wholesale and military liquor sales was $596.1 million while FY 2019 gross
revenues were $531.2 million which resulted in a retail sales increase of $64.9
million.
Despite ABC temporarily
closing 78 retail stores last March and reassigning those employees to open
stores, to seeing its warehouse staffing shrink 27% as the pandemic continued
from summer to fall, the agency shipped 3,304,241 cases of liquor in FY 2020.
In FY 2019, ABC shipped 332,022 fewer cases while the agency operated at full
capacity.
The additional revenue
from increased alcoholic beverage sales in the state of Alabama also added
millions more dollars to the state’s General Fund, state agencies, local and
county governments and more. The distribution of revenues below reflects an
increase of $28 million. Figures below represent millions of dollars.
FY
2019 FY 2020
General Fund $101.1 $113.5
Dept. of Human Resources $ 65.7 $72.4
Dept. of Mental Health $ 47.3 $53.3
Education Trust Fund $ 22.4 $22
Department of Revenue $ 18.4 $19.9
Cities and Counties $ 14.1 $15.7
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency $ 16.8 $16.8
Total
Resources Distributed $285.8 $313.6
“Revenues generated
through ABC activities are used to fund state and local governments,” Gipson
said. “Through this pandemic our employees have done yeoman’s work with less
resources. It is their dedication to ABC that is reflected in these increased
financials.”
The ABC Board also worked
diligently with the business community, hospitality industry and licensees to
enact policies that helped them remain open and viable during the pandemic. On
two occasions the board unanimously authorized its on-premise licensees to sell
alcohol for curbside pick-up.
“We remain committed to
supporting our licensees,” Gipson said. “We’ve heard from many restaurant
owners who said allowing for alcohol sales at curbside kept their businesses
afloat during this crisis. We will continue to work with them and do everything
we can to ease the pressures they are facing during this challenging time.”
According to FY 2020 sales,
the top 10 spirits brands purchased in Alabama, with dollar amounts in millions
of dollars, were:
FY
2019 FY 2020
1. Hennessy
VS – cognac/Armagnac $22.5 $33.1
2. Tito’s
Handmade – domestic vodka $22.3 $27.6
3. Crown
Royal – Canadian whisky $23 $24.6
4. Jack
Daniel’s 7 Black – Tennessee whiskey $18.7 $20.2
5. Smirnoff
– imported vodka $16 $16
6. Crown
Royal Regal Apple – Canadian whisky $12.4 $15.8
7. Fireball
– Canadian whiskey $12.8 $13.7
8. Jim
Beam – Kentucky bourbon $10.9 $11.9
9. Jose
Cuervo – imported tequila $8.9 $11.8
10. Aristocrat
– domestic vodka $10.8 $10.7
FY 2020 revenues were
collected from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020, FY 2019 revenues
were collected from October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019. Data in this
release reflect unaudited gross and net revenues.
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