Despite a year marked by COVID-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants, the State of Iowa saw record liquor sales in fiscal year 2020.
Liquor sales from the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division to retailers grew to $367.3 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, an âunprecedentedâ increase of 8.2% over the prior fiscal year, according to the divisionâs annual report.
While liquor sales have generally been rising in the state, officials attributed a particularly large spike in the 2020 fiscal year at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
âIn (fiscal year 2019), there was a 6% increase, which was a little bit more than what weâve seen, but this year is definitely larger than recent years,â said Jake Holmes, spokesman for the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.
Like the heart, home apparently also is where the booze is.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa last March and a subsequent temporary shutdown of Iowaâs bars, restaurants and hospitality industry and mitigation directives to slow the viral spread meant more Iowans were working and drinking at home â which translated into record liquor sales for fiscal 2020.
Officials in the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division say in a report released Thursday that liquor sales totaled $367.3 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30 â an increase of 8.2 percent over the previous fiscal year. Those record sales compared with $339.5 million in fiscal 2019, meaning the division transferred more than $133 million to the stateâs general fund.
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Like the heart, home apparently also is where the booze is.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa last March and a subsequent temporary shutdown of Iowa’s bars, restaurants and hospitality industry and mitigation directives to slow the viral spread meant more Iowans were working and drinking at home which translated into record liquor sales for fiscal 2020.
Officials in the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division say in a report released Thursday that liquor sales totaled $367.3 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30 an increase of 8.2 percent over the previous fiscal year. Those record sales compared with $339.5 million in fiscal 2019, meaning the division transferred more than $133 million to the state’s general fund.