Colorado blocks grocers from obtaining liquor licenses

Grocery Dive reported the development on 2025-04-15. While many states have loosened rules on alcohol sales by grocers, Colorado’s governor recently signed a bill that expands restrictions on the types of businesses that may sell liquor.

The report places the news in a wider commercial context. Amid ongoing efforts to expand alcohol sales for grocers, Colorado has taken a step in the opposite direction. Last week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law legislation that prohibits the state from issuing any new liquor-licensed drugstore licenses — the permits grocers and big-box retailers need to sell alcohol.

For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. Thirty-six liquor-licensed drugstore licenses are currently held by retailers in the state, the majority of which are “large grocery stores that have a pharmacy on the premises,” according to a nonpartisan state analysis issued in January.

Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. “While it is undeniable that Colorado voters’ approval of wine in grocery stores drastically changed the landscape for liquor stores in Colorado, I do believe the market for any legal commodity should reflect consumer demand,” Polis said in a statement.