News & alerts
What changed for your stores
Laws, taxes and deadlines for convenience stores, gas stations and liquor stores in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
PAJul 20, 2026Your Pennsylvania Store’s Annual Report Is Due September 30, and Next Year Missing It Can Dissolve the Business
Pennsylvania LLCs owe a $7 annual report by September 30. This is the last year a missed deadline slides, because administrative dissolution begins with 2027 reports.
PAJul 16, 2026Pennsylvania’s New $50.8 Billion Budget Skips Skill Games, Leaving Store Terminals in Limbo Before October
Gov. Shapiro signed the state budget on July 12 with no skill-games framework in it. The Supreme Court’s 120-day stay runs out in mid-October, after which the terminals in thousands of stores become subject to seizure.
PAJul 15, 2026Pennsylvania Raises the Minimum Cigarette Markup for Retailers to 8.5 Percent
Act 57 of 2025 raised Pennsylvania’s presumed retailer markup on cigarettes to 8.5 percent as of March 1, 2026, rising to 9.5 percent in 2027, and created a vape directory retailers must follow.
NJPAJul 14, 2026Pennsylvania Moves to Ban Dynamic Pricing in Stores, Following New Jersey
HB 2626 advanced 18-8 and would make remotely changed electronic shelf prices a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices law. What it means before you buy an ESL system.
PAJul 13, 2026Pennsylvania Caffeine Warning Bill Advances, With a Big Change to the Threshold
HB 2377 would require ‘high caffeine’ warnings next to beverages sold at retail food facilities. The House committee raised the trigger from 80 milligrams to 250 milligrams per serving, which changes how much of your cold vault is affected.
PAJul 10, 2026Pennsylvania Senate Votes 49-0 to Make EBT Skimming a Felony
SB 362 would grade SNAP and EBT skimming as a felony and extend the statute of limitations to five years. Because skimmers are installed on store checkout terminals, retailers are on the front line.
PAJul 9, 2026Pennsylvania Bill Would Legalize Third-Party Alcohol Delivery
House Bill 1451 would create a Class D transporters for hire license, letting app-based services deliver beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails from licensed Pennsylvania retailers, with age-verification and driver-training rules.
PAJul 8, 2026Pennsylvania Skill Games Ruled Illegal, and a 52% Tax Fight Now Looms Over Every Store That Hosts One
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court says skill games are slot machines. A 120-day stay ends in October, and Harrisburg is racing to write tax-and-regulation rules that will decide whether c-stores can keep the terminals at all.
NJNYPAJul 7, 2026Tri-State Cracks Down on Organized Retail Crime: New NJ, NY and PA Tools for Store Owners
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania have all strengthened organized-retail-crime laws and stood up dedicated task forces, here is what tobacco, liquor, and c-store owners should know.
NJPAJul 7, 2026Swipe-Fee Relief Gains Momentum: Federal Bill Plus New NJ and PA Measures Target Card Costs
Three 2026 bills, the federal Credit Card Competition Act plus New Jersey and Pennsylvania measures, aim to cut the card-processing fees that have become one of the biggest costs for tri-state retailers.
NJNYPAJul 6, 2026The 2026 Tri-State Alcohol-Retail Shake-Up: How NJ, NY & PA Bills Could Reshape Where Customers Buy Booze
From New Jersey grocery bills to New York supermarket-wine fights to Pennsylvania chains winning auctioned licenses, 2026 is redrawing where customers can buy alcohol across the tri-state, and what it means for independent retailers.
PAJul 1, 2026Pennsylvania Opens Ready-to-Drink Cocktails to Convenience Stores: A Rare Revenue Win
Pennsylvania’s Act 86 of 2024 lets roughly 12,000 licensed retailers, including convenience stores, sell spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails (up to 12.5% ABV, 16 oz, to-go). Here’s who qualifies, the fees, and what tri-state owners should do.