011-20 Wyo. Code R. § 20-8

Current through April 27, 2019
Section 20-8 - Representative Licenses and Standards of Business

(a.) Representative License. All distillery, brewery and winery vendors' agents, salesmen, solicitors, brokers, sales consultants, a nd representatives shall be licensed with the Division in accordance with the provisions of these rules. No individual shall act as an agent, salesman, broker, sales consultant, or solicitor for any vendor in promoting the sales of a vendor's products in Wyoming unless he has been properly licensed.

(b.) License Fee. The fee for a class A, class B, or class C representative's license, as set by the division, shall be payable at the time of application to the Liquor Division, at 1520 East 5th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002.

(c.) Duration of License. A representative's license shall be a personal privilege, good for one (1) year unless sooner suspended or revoked. All licenses shall expire on June 30 of each year. All applications for renewal of licenses and license fees shall be filed with the Division forty- five (45) days prior to the date of expiration.

(d.) Verification of Employment. Application for a class A representative license shall be accompanied by a written statement from the vendor(s) whose products the applicant proposes to represent. The vendor's statement shall verify the applicant's employment or contractual arrangement, and shall contain a request that the applicant be licensed to represent its particular brand or brands in Wyoming. Application for a class B representative license shall be accompanied by a written statement from a class A representative. The statement from the class A representative shall verify the applicant's employment or contractual arrangement, and shall contain a request that the applicant be licensed to represent products represented by the class A representative. Application for a class C representative license shall be accompanied by a written statement from a class A representative indicating the event for which the class C representative shall be licensed.

(e.) Privileges of Licensed Representatives. Class A representative shall be responsible for the presentation of products, to the division, for listing and delisting per policies established by the division. Properly licensed class A or class B representatives may advertise and promote the sale of vendors' products and shall be permitted to call upon liquor licensees to insure product identification, advance notice of new listings, delistings, product changes, and other pertinent information. Licensed representatives shall not be permitted to place liquor orders from retail licensees with the Division.

(f.) Representation. All vendors shall notify the Division, in writing, upon the employment or termination of any class A representative promoting the sale of its products within Wyoming. A representative may represent more than one company. All class A representatives shall notify the division, in writing, upon the employment or termination of any class B representatives promoting the sale of assigned products within Wyoming.

(g.) Sampling.

Definition: Sampling is defined as displaying to a licensed retailer the smallest quantity available for the buyer to determine the quality of the product offered.

Sampling Rules:

Provided that all applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to the shipment of alcoholic beverages into Wyoming are strictly adhered to, samples are not prohibited.

A class A or class B industry representative may furnish or give a sample of an alcoholic beverage to a licensee, his agents or employees, who have not previously purchased the brand from that industry representative. For each retail establishment, such samples are limited as follows: the industry representative may give not more than 3 gallons of any brand of malt beverage, not more than 500 milliliters of any brand of distilled spirits, and not more than 3 liters of any brand of wine. If a particular product is not available in a size within the quantity limitations of this section, an industry representative may furnish to a retailer the next larger size. If a licensee, their agents or employees have previously purchased a product, an industry representative may not furnish any samples.

The use of samples shall not be abused by the distribution of unopened bottles or cases to the retail licensee in the form of a bonus of free goods or an inducement for future purchases.

The seal on all sample bottles shall be broken at the time of sampling.

Class A and class B representatives may be permitted to purchase samples from the Division. The Division shall establish limits, policies, and procedures for the individual purchase of sample products.

(h.) Advertising, Display and Promotional Materials.

The giving or offering of a bonus, premium, compensation or other thing of value by an industry representative to any licensee, their owners, officers, employees or representatives for their exclusive or personal use is prohibited.

No advertisement of alcoholic beverages should:

Contain a statement, design, device, or representation which is obscene or indecent.

Contain a statement, design, or device representing that the use of the product has curative or therapeutic effects, if such statement is untrue in any particular, or tends to create a misleading impression.

Contain an offer to a consumer of a prize, premium, or award upon completion of a contest, or otherwise promote any contest among consumers where a purchase is mandatory or conditional.

Contain any statement which is disparaging of a competitor's products, false, or misleading in any material way.

All advertising, display and promotional materials of vendors shall be sent to class A or class B representatives directly. This type of material shall not be consigned to the Division.

(i.) Private Labels. The use of private or personal labels on any alcoholic beverage container offered for sale or use in Wyoming is not prohibited provided all private and personal labels have received approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Documentation of TTB approval shall be provided to the Division prior to any alcoholic beverage container with a private or personal label attached being offered for sale or use in Wyoming.

(j.) Special Orders. Orders for merchandise not carried in inventory by the Division are permitted by written request from the retailer.

(k.) General Business Practices. The division shall maintain written policies and procedures necessary to conduct the day to day business of a wholesale operation. Parties affected by a policy may receive a copy by submitting a written request to the division.

(l.) Minimum Purchase Requirement. W.S. 12-4-103(c) requires a minimum purchase requirement within the prior one year term to be eligible for renewal. For any retail license which may have less than a one year prior term, the minimum requirement shall be prorated to match the actual prior term of the retail license being renewed.

(m.) Application Reviews. Pursuant to W.S. W.S. W.S. 12-4-104(d), applications filed with the local licensing authority shall be forwarded by the local licensing authority to the division and the division shall review each such application and certify the same as complete when appropriate. The local licensing authority shall be responsible for ensuring the application contains correct information.

(n.) Sales Tax and Liquor Licenses. To administer the requirement set forth in W.S.12-2- 306, the person stated on the liquor license or permit shall be the same person stated on the sales tax license unless a special circumstance exception has been applied for in writing to the Division by the liquor licensee or permitee and approved by the Director.

011-20 Wyo. Code R. § 20-8