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Richard Piatt ReportingUtah's steady growth creates increasing demand for alcoholic beverages.
The state's department of Alcohol Beverage Control has a list of new, larger stores it's opening, or planning to open, over the next few months.
The 64 and a half percent markup on liquor, wine and beer adds up to the tune of a 9-million dollar net profit last year. And more sales in the future means more profit in the future.
The growing demand is sparking remodeling in several stores: West Valley, Kimball Junction, Taylorsville, Bountiful and two in Salt Lake City will double in size in the next year or so. Other replacement stores are going in Ogden, Harrisville and Holladay.
The state is also adding stores in Saint George, Riverton, Salt Lake City, and Harrisville.
The newest store is in Park City. It opened just last week. It's 12-thousand square feet and it carries just about everything the state stocks. The new store is tailored to modern demand: High-end wines and liquors are becoming more and more popular, which also boosts state profits.
David Paul, State Liquor Store Manager: "We've got about 27-hundred wines on the floor. We have a special wine cellar, which is where, again, more of the high end wine is."
The new stores also feature modern security measures, and reminders to drink responsibly. Even so, not every community is thrilled about the new stores in their area. Recently the Riverton City council passed a resolution to reject a store proposed there. The state will open the store anyway.
This is another example, perhaps, of how the state's population is changing as it grows.
