Don't expect to see wine kiosks in Sheetz convenience stores any time in the near future.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently asked the Altoona-based convenience store chain if it was interested but Sheetz said it isn't at the present time, Louie Sheetz, executive vice president of marketing said.
Sheetz, who observed one of the machines at a Wegman's in Camp Hill, said one major concern is the machines themselves.
"The performance of the equipment was an issue, and another issue for us was their physical size, they are huge," Sheetz said. "We have a small footprint, and we would have to replace something inside to put one in."
The kiosks, built by Simple Brands of Conshohocken, operate in more than 30 supermarkets and were approved for 24 Walmarts, including the one in Altoona, last week.
Hours of operation could also be an issue.
"We would want it to be open extended hours, not necessarily 24 hours a day," Sheetz said. "The PLCB requires that it only be open the hours they are open."
The inventory would be owned by the PLCB, Sheetz said.
"They would get all of the money. We would maybe get some more traffic," Sheetz said. "It is intriguing as a divestiture from the norm. We had some initial interest but not today."
The chain may consider the wine kiosks in the future, he said.
"We would always consider taking a look at it but you won't see these in Sheetz stores any time soon, we have no interest, the way it is structured," Sheetz said.
