Beer Sales at New Sheetz Store Hit Roadblock

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Sheetz Inc. was forced to shut down beer sales at its Shippensburg store Wednesday morning after the Civic Club of Shippensburg appealed the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's approval of beer sales there, according to a Patriot-News report. The store's beer coolers are currently locked.

The Civic Club, which is located within a block of the store, claimed that the state Liquor Code does not provide "discretion on the part of the Board to allow transfers to places, properties or locations which sell gasoline."

The Shippensburg store, which began selling beer on July 25, followed all Liquor Control Board requirements, including having two separate sides -– one for the c-store and one for the restaurant with beer sales –- Gary Zimmerman, assistant vice president and legal counsel for Sheetz, told CSNews Online.

Sheetz, which expects a second appeal from the Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania, plans to fight back, according to the report.

"Our goal is to get in front of a Cumberland County judge as soon as possible," Zimmerman said. "We are at the mercy of the system."

The store's beer may be replaced with soda and other beverages depending on the length of the appeals process.

Sheetz also sells beer at a store in its hometown of Altoona, Pa. It began selling beer at the Shippensburg location following a two-year legal battle.