South Carolina General Assembly
107th Session, 1987-1988

Bill 488

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               488
Ratification Number:       100
Act Number                 65
Introducing Body:          Senate
Subject:                   Prohibition against certain relationships
                           and transactions between beer wholesalers,
                           manufacturers, and retailers
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A65, R100, S488)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 61-9-315, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION AGAINST CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN BEER WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS, AND RETAILERS, SO AS TO FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THESE PROHIBITED RELATIONSHIPS AND TRANSACTIONS, INCLUDING PROVISIONS WHICH PROHIBIT ANY PERSON FROM HAVING OWNERSHIP OR FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN MORE THAN ONE "TIER" OF THE BEER BUSINESS, DEFINE "TIERS" FOR THIS PURPOSE, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Beer manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer relationships and transactions

SECTION 1. Section 61-9-315 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 61-9-315. (A) A manufacturer or brewer of beer, ale, porter, or other malt beverages or any person who imports these products produced outside the United States shall not sell, barter, exchange, transfer, or deliver for resale any beer to any person not having a wholesale permit granted under Section 61-9-310, and a holder of a wholesale permit shall not sell, barter, exchange, transfer, or deliver for resale any beer to any person not having a retail or wholesale permit.

(B) A manufacturer, brewer, importer, or wholesaler of beer, or anyone acting on their behalf, shall not furnish, give, rent, lend, or sell, directly or indirectly, to the holder of a retail permit any equipment, fixtures, free beer, or service.

(C) Notwithstanding subsection (B), a wholesaler may furnish at no charge to the holder of a retail permit draft beer equipment replacement parts of nominal value, including washers, gaskets, hoses, hose connectors, clamps, and tap markers, party wagons for temporary use, and point of sale advertising specialties. A wholesaler may also furnish the following services to a retailer: cleaning draught lines, setting boxes, rotating stock, affixing price tags to beer products, and building beer displays.

(D) The holder of a retail permit, or anyone acting on his behalf, shall not accept, directly or indirectly, any equipment, fixtures, free beer, or service referred to in subsection (B) from a manufacturer, brewer, importer, or wholesaler of beer except as provided in subsection (C).

(E) A manufacturer, brewer, and importer of beer are declared to be in business on one tier, a wholesaler on another tier, and a retailer on another tier. Any person or entity in the beer business on one tier, or anyone acting directly or indirectly on his behalf, shall not have any ownership or financial interest in the beer business operation on another tier. This limitation does not apply to the interest held on July 1, 1980, by the holder of a wholesale permit in a business operated by the holder of a retail permit at premises other than where the wholesale business is operated."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.