News

We'll drink to that: Wine kiosks reopen

February 1, 2011

All 32 wine vending kiosks installed at supermarkets across Pennsylvania are expected to be back in operation today, following a six-week shutdown for repairs, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

In Western Pennsylvania, machines in 10 Giant Eagle and Shop 'n Save stores reopened within the last week, said Stacey Witalec, spokeswoman for the state Liquor Control Board.

Eight other local machines, plus the rest of the devices statewide, are to return to the business of dispensing bottles of wine by today, said Jim Lesser, chief executive officer of Simple Brands LLC., the Conshohocken, Montgomery County-based company that manufactures the kiosks.

"They have been working as they are supposed to" since being fixed, Lesser said.

The state Liquor Control Board shut the kiosks statewide Dec. 21 due to reports of malfunctions. Doors on the machines failed to open, and sometimes the screens on the devices would freeze at the same time, Lesser said.

The kiosks sold more than 31,500 bottles of wine through Dec. 18, for total sales of more than $330,000, according to board figures.