Store
With a growing variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic products filling shelves at licensed stores around the commonwealth, off-premises licensees must strive to ensure consumer safety and avoid confusion by regulating the display of wine and beer and a relatively new category of products known as “crossover products.”
Virginia law requires that persons licensed to sell wine and beer and "crossover" products for off-premises consumption that display such products outside a clearly discernible location reserved for alcoholic beverages to:
- Not place wine or beer products in an area immediately adjacent to non-alcoholic beverages containing the same or similar brand name, logo, or packaging as an alcoholic beverage
- Equip any such display with signage that indicates the product is an alcoholic beverage, is clearly visible to consumers, and is of sufficient size to notify the consumer that the product contains alcohol.
The law refers to all beverages displayed in a cooler or in a retail space that use terms describing wine, beer, flavored malt beverages (FMBs), and low alcohol and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. The law does not prohibit the placement of non-alcoholic wine or beer in or near a display of alcoholic beverages that contain the same or similar brand name, logo, or packaging as the non-alcoholic wine or beer.
What Is a "Crossover" Product?
A "crossover" product is an alcoholic version of a traditionally non-alcoholic product. Some of these products incorporate the branding from both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic products. Others bear the same or similar imagery of the non-alcoholic product but include various indicators that the product contains alcohol.
Retail Resources
In order to help retail licensees meet in-store display requirements, Virginia ABC is pleased to provide resources to comply with signage requirements. These include a crossover product instructional guide, sticker sheets, and letter-sized cards. Free resources can be downloaded from our website or requested and mailed to businesses using the order form below.
| Type | Description | Download Link |
| Sticker Sheets | You may download, print and reproduce these as needed. The PDF has print ready art with die-lines for trimming. Individual stickers can be placed on the exterior of coolers (repositionable as needed) or on cases. | Download (PDF) |
| Single Sticker | Individual sticker; may printed and reproduce as needed. | Download (JPEG) |
| Letter-sized cards | Can be folded and inserted into a sign holder or cut and placed on a case | Download (PDF) |
| Crossover Product Instructional Guide | A resource to be shared with employees responsible for creating product displays. | Download (PDF) |
FAQs
Will there be specific sign design requirements such as dimensions, content, or font size or will guidance be broader?
The only requirements are that signage should be obvious, legible, highly visible, clear to consumer, and the consumer should not have to hunt for it.
Will there be a formal approval process for signage?
No, however Virginia ABC is willing to review drafts of signage if requested.
Will Virginia ABC consider who provided/created the sign (retail licensee or wholesaler) for enforcement purposes?
Retail licensees will be responsible for implementation and upholding the new law.
Who do I contact for questions regarding Virginia’s alcohol laws?
Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement has nine regional offices and one satellite office that serve as points of contact for citizens and licensees. Please reach out to your Special Agent or a Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement Regional Office with questions.
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Need Help?
Special agents are the primary resource for questions related to operating a business with an ABC license. Contact a special agent via your regional ABC office. For step-by-step assistance in banquet licensing, see our Licensing Wizard.Training
Virginia ABC offers free online training to help managers, sellers and servers to become more responsible and better understand ABC laws, rules and regulations. For more information, contact Community Health & Prevention, (804) 977-7440 or [email protected].
