§ 33:1-99 — Definitions relative to alcoholic beverage licenses and certain retail stores.

1. a. For the purposes of this act: "Retail food store" means any retail establishment where groceries and other foodstuffs are regularly and customarily sold in a bona fide manner for off-premises consumption and constitute at least 65 percent of the store's total annual sales in dollars. "Groceries and other foodstuffs" means dairy products; meat and delicatessen products; produce products; seafood products; carbonated beverages; coffee and other beverages; snack foods; candy products; baked products; paper products; household cleaning items; health and beauty products; frozen foods; pet foods and supplies; and any other edible product not previously listed. b. The provisions of section 1 of P.L.1962, c.152 (C.33:1-12.31) shall not apply to the acquisition of any additional plenary retail distribution license or any interest therein when that acquired license was, prior to the acquisition, used in connection with a retail food store that became an asset in bankruptcy pursuant to Chapter 7 of the federal Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. s.701 et seq. or Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. s.1101 et seq. and is transferred for use in connection with another or the same retail food store. c. The holder of a plenary retail distribution license acquired pursuant to this section shall be prohibited from transferring the license from the premises of the retail food store for which the license was used prior to the bankruptcy proceeding to another location, other than to another retail food store, except in connection with a relocation of the retail food store to a new location within the same municipality that issued the license. d. A plenary retail distribution license that was in an inactive status pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1977, c.246 (C.33:1-12.39) at the time that the license was transferred as an asset in bankruptcy shall be transferred again within two years following the transfer in the bankruptcy proceeding to a person or entity who does not hold a beneficial interest in the license. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to: (1) a person who held a beneficial interest in fewer than two licenses at the time of acquiring the inactive license in the bankruptcy proceeding and is entitled to hold not more than two retail licenses pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1962, c.152 (C.33:1-12.31); or (2) the holder of plenary retail distribution licenses used in connection with retail food stores who acquires any additional plenary retail distribution license or an interest therein when that license was used in connection with a retail food store that was an asset in bankruptcy pursuant to Chapter 7 of the federal Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. s.701 et seq., or Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. s.1101 et seq., and when the interest in the retail food store is also acquired. e. Plenary Retail Consumption licenses, pursuant to this act, shall be licenses with "Broad C Package Privileges." f. A person shall not be entitled to acquire any additional plenary retail distribution license or an interest therein pursuant to this section unless the person purchases or successfully bids in the bankruptcy sale on the assets associated with the retail food store where the license was previously sited. L.2021, c.48, s.1.