The New York Supreme Court has upheld the state’s law to protect independently-owned alcohol retailers by rejecting a bid by chain retailer Total Wine to open a second store in the state.
Under New York state law, chain retailers are banned from applying for a state license to open and operate stores in the states, in a bid to protect ‘mom and pop’ stores, however entrepreneurs affiliated with national firms are able to apply for a single license for an individual store under a different corporate name. Total Wine operates one location under those rules, but sought to open a second location.
The case may be appealed since the decision is inconsistent with recent rulings in other states. In 2017, Total Wine won a major victory in South Carolina, after the state’s supreme court ruled that a cap on the number of stores a retailer can have was “unconstitutional”.
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