The "Discover our Community" program provides Suppliers with the opportunity to celebrate local community events in LCBO stores.
The program is open to all products. The selected products must represent a logical relationship to the chosen local event. (i.e. ethnic product for ethnic festival)
Only one "Discover Our Community" program will be approved per store at a time. The program is booked on a first-come / first-served basis.
Follow this link for rate information.
Product Placement
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Up to 3 popular products per end maximum.
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The display will be located on one Discretionary End Aisle in each participating store.
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The location of the display is not open to negotiation by suppliers.
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Store staff will build all displays in their allocated positions.
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There is no commitment on initial stock orders to build displays.
Participating Stores
All LCBO Stores may participate in the "Discover Our Community" Program. The stores promoting a specific event are at the discretion of the LCBO Retail District Manager and must be within the geographical region of the event.
There is a maximum of 30 stores that can participate per event. To run a promotion in more than 30 stores, Suppliers should apply for the regular End Aisle Display Program.
Program Duration
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Each program’s duration will be negotiated per week, up to a maximum of four weeks.
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Longer promotion period may be granted on an ad-hoc basis for special circumstances (e.g., a product label celebrating a town centennial).
Product Selection Criteria
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The selected products can be from different categories as long as they all tie in the local event.
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The program is open to all products.
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Products do not need to be integrated with the current in-store Promotional Theme.
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Products cannot be part of a paid IMAGE program or paid Seasonal Blockpile program for the same timeframe.
Tasting Program (Recommended)
Research indicates that in-store sampling directly influences customers’ buying decisions. Participating in the Tasting Program is strongly encouraged.
Approved Promotional Material
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LCBO Discover Our Community chalkboard with space for product information copy.
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LCBO generic pricer cards for all products (maximum 3).
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Suppliers may produce a cling vinyl type overlay that must fit in the designated space on the current LCBO Discover our Community chalkboard backer cards. The signs cannot be branded and must be made of a material that is easily removed from DOC backer card (see example below). The dimensions of the sign must not exceed 30" wide x 16" high. The approved content for the sign are event details, product names and current pricing information. No supplier branded signs are permitted. All proposed signs must be approved by the relevant Category/Product manager a minimum of three weeks before the start date of the program. Approved signage will be installed by LCBO staff.
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Branded attire and merchandise as well as additional promotional material (cut outs, banners, merchandisers, etc) will not be accepted.
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At the suppliers’ discretion, the product can be produced with a private/custom label (i.e., Town Centennial, etc). All products with custom labels must be picked up by the suppliers at the end of the promotion.
Contest (Optional)
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Suppliers are responsible for obtaining AGCO approval for all contests taking place in LCBO stores. The contest will be cancelled if approval by AGCO and LCBO Legal Department is not obtained 10 weeks prior to the start date.
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A final copy of the contest rules must be submitted to the relevant Category office at the same time as the application.
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Contests are permitted as long as the prizes tie into the community event and have been approved by the appropriate Category/Product Manager.
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Ballots must be collected via mail-in or submitted online by the customer.
Ballots must produced and shipped in compliance with LCBO case packing guidelines by the supplier upon artwork approval by LCBO. Due to new Privacy regulations, the collection of ballots at retail stores is no longer permitted. All ballots must be a mail in option/on-line customer entry option only.
Ballot collection and draws must be managed by the supplier.
No purchase is necessary for ballot entry.
Distributing the prize and completion of all waivers is the suppliers responsibility.
Follow this link to the Contests page.
Applications
Please note:The program is now available for online application in MPTS. The method of applying is different from any other programs. The details include:
Agents apply for select stores to a maximum of 30 stores
The program runs by week, not Promotional Turn
Submission deadline is 10 weeks before the start of the program
The “Option” tab denotes the number of SKUs applied for, per program
Invoicing is by week and by store
The information to be featured on the end aisle display chalkboard and the District Manager approval are mandatory for the application to be processed