Lynnfield Whole Foods Gets Wine And Beer License

The incoming Whole Foods at MarketStreet at Lynnfield will offer a selection of wine and beer for sale, in accordance with a retail package store wine and malt beverage license approved by selectmen this week.

Karen Simao, an attorney for Whole Foods, was joined at this week's selectmen's meeting by other representatives of the company to answer questions about the planned beer and wine sales.

Simao reported that all register staff at the Whole Foods will be TIPS trained for alcoholic beverage transactions and will also have to be over age 18. The Whole Foods will also have loss prevention mechanisms in place, such as mystery shoppers at times, regular meetings for employees to go over alcohol policies, and a requirement for customers to provide an ID for any alcohol purchase, regardless of age. The store will also be in compliance with all state-mandated hours for alcohol sales, added the Whole Foods attorney.

The Lynnfield Whole Foods will reportedly be about 46,000 square feet, with no more than 3,000 square feet to be used for beer and wine. This will also apparently be the fourth Whole Foods to offer wine and beer sales.

Town resident Joe Demaina expressed concern at the meeting about the impact the new store will have on the three existing independently owned liquor stores in town. Selectmen noted that consistent with state policies, there was one license available in town for a store this size - and nobody else had applied for it.

Whole Foods was one of the earliest announced tenants in the MarketStreet at Lynnfield project and is expected to open later in 2013.

The future supermarket is the first building on the left as viewed from the Walnut Street entrance.