Sec.30-6-A32a. Furnishing services, advertising material or equipment to retailer

No brand owner, manufacturer, out-of-state shipper or wholesaler may furnish any retailer with services, advertising material or equipment except as follows, and, with respect to alcohol, spirits and wine, if allowed by federal law:

(a) Inside advertising material, including window displays, which has no intrinsic or utilitarian value other than point-of-sale advertising, whose aggregate cost shall not exceed five hundred dollars per retail outlet per calendar year per brand, exclusive of installation cost;

(b) Advertising novelties and specialties for use on the retail premises, such as trays, coasters, napkins, stirrers, scrapers and scraper holders, menu sheets and menu covers, change mats, calendars and pourers displaying brand names, whose aggregate cost shall not exceed five hundred dollars per distributor of such items per retail outlet per calendar year; wine lists may be distributed without cost limitation, such lists may contain listings from different brand owners, manufacturers, out-of-state shippers and wholesalers at the discretion of the retailer.

(c) Consumer novelties of nominal value for unconditional distribution to patrons of retail outlets, whose aggregate cost shall not exceed five hundred dollars per distributor of such items per retail outlet per calendar year.

(d) Manufacturers and wholesalers may clean and repair beer lines between barrels and faucets in retail premises and may furnish tapping accessories (such as rods, tap, hose and pressure regulators), provided the aggregate cost or reasonable value of any services rendered and any material used in connection with the cleaning and repairing of coils and the tapping accessories furnished shall not exceed five hundred dollars for each permit premises in any one permit year.

(e) Upon written submission to and approval by the department, brand owners or their licensees in this state may display in retail premises items other than alcoholic liquors which patrons may order by order forms available in such premises, provided no retailer shall stock or deliver such items or incur any cost in connection therewith, and provided the patron shall not be required to make any purchase on the premises in connection therewith. Such items shall be limited to products and any other items considered dealer loaders costing the supplier less than one hundred dollars per display. Nothing herein shall be construed as an exception from any other provisions of the Liquor Control Act or Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(f) No brand owner, manufacturer, out-of-state shipper, wholesaler, or salesman for any such entity shall display, stock, rotate or affix the price to alcoholic liquor products for their retail off-premises consumption place of business customers, except as permitted by this section. A brand owner, manufacturer, out-of-state shipper, wholesaler, or salesman for any such entity may perform the following for its retail customers allowed hereunder for their own products only:

(1) The one-time stocking of shelves in the sales area only at any newly licensed retail off-premises consumption place of business or any premises that has recently had a change in the control of ownership, is permitted for all products;

(2) The setting-up, building and maintenance of displays and point-of-sales advertisements is permitted for all products;

(3) The rotating of all perishable products is permitted provided that rotating consists of moving stock from rear to front on the shelves in the sales area only, and does not include the stocking or cleaning of shelves and other similar services on shelves in the sales area or any other area;

(4) The affixing of prices on point of sale material, as established by the retailer, is permitted for all products;

(5) The maintaining of floor displays by the addition of a full case or cases, whether cut or uncut, that does not include the stocking or cleaning of shelves; and

(6) The maintaining of cold boxes and display refrigerators by the addition of single bottles of wine and spirits, cordials, or beer.

Any brand owner, manufacturer, out-of-state shipper, wholesaler, or salesman for any such entity who elects to provide any of the aforementioned services shall do so only with the permission of the retailer involved, and shall provide the same service to all their retail customers without discrimination. Any permittee or salesman who knowingly provides or receives services in violation of this section shall be subject to license revocation or suspension.

(Effective April 16, 1991; Amended October 1, 2001)