FILE PhotoNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Skeptics of a proposal to allow wine to be sold in Tennessee supermarkets and convenience stores said any change in law should be deferred for several years to give liquor store owners time to adjust to the new competition.
Republican Rep. Ryan Haynes of Knoxville said liquor store owners should be given three to five years to get out of existing leases or to change their business models if they no longer have the exclusive right to sell wine.
Haynes said any proposal also should allow liquor stores to sell items such as beer, ice and mixers, and that would require new equipment and store layouts.
Bristol Republican Rep. Jon Lundberg said the implementation of his bill would already be delayed enough by a requirement to hold a local referendum.
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