New Suppliers - Frequently Asked Questions
How does my organization get setup to distribute alcohol to Montgomery County?
If you are an out of state company, you must first obtain a non-resident dealer permit, Maryland Form 328 - Permit Application, found on the Maryland State Comptroller’swebsite.
Once this is obtained, or if you’re currently setup in the state of Maryland, please complete and submit a Supplier Registration Form to create a new supplier account in the County system.
Once your account has been created, you will receive a confirmation email with the following items:
- New Item Setup Form
- Instructions on the Solicitor’s Permit
- Link to register on iStore and iSupplier
- Assigned Buyer
How do I get my items listed in the County?
Most of the items that are setup in the County are designated as either "Stock" or "Special".
Stock refers to items that are warehoused at the ABS and are forecasted and ordered by the buying team, when inventory is depleted.
Specials are ordered from the supplier on a case by case basis when ordered by restaurants, bars, and retailers.
We recommend getting an item setup in the system as a Special first before seeking placement at the County Retail Stores or placement in the warehouse as a Stock item. The Department (ABS) requires at least one case of product be ordered for an item to be setup as a Special into the system. The ABS chooses which products will become Stock in the warehouse based on annual case movement.
We hold a listing meeting every month to determine which items will become Stock warehoused products.
New Item Setup Form For Listing Committee
To learn more about the Product Listing process, go to the Product Listing page.
How do I price my items that I would like to list in the County?
Suppliers will need to fill in the price for any product request on the New Item Form. This price is based on the cost to the ABS. There is a separate field for freight charges if applicable. Once the supplier price and freight is submitted to the Alcohol Beverage Services, the pricing team will apply a variable markup to the product.
How do I set up a product tasting in a ABS store?
ABS store managers will help you schedule tastings in their store. All listed tastings are complimentary and available to customers who are 21 and over during a set time. A list of store locations, managers and their contact information can be found here.
How do I get my product featured in the ABS Retail Blasts?
There are two retail blasts that go out each week. These include a product tasting calendar email and a ABS retail product promotion email.
A tasting calendar goes out each Friday morning as an email blast and is generated from tasting information gathered from each ABS store. The tasting calendar can also be viewed online here.
Additionally, a ABS retail product promotional email blast is sent out at the beginning of the week, typically on Tuesdays. A few factors are considered in selecting products for inclusion. These include the product being on sale, being Maryland made, seasonality, competitive pricing - we do price comparisons to surrounding retailers - and having the product widely distributed in about half or more of the ABS stores. Access to high resolution bottle shots help as well.
Please review the New Pricing Strategy effective May 1st, 2017.
If you have any further questions regarding pricing, please send an email to [email protected]