Rendering of new Mississippi ABC warehouse being constructed in Canton
- For years, lawmakers discussed modernizing operations and expanding the facility. By August 2026, the new distribution center should be up and running.
Construction began in February on a new Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) warehouse utilizing $95 million in state bond funds.
Glenn Kornbrek, the director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration’s Bureau of Building, Grounds, and Real Property Management, said Tuesday that the current ABC warehouse located in Gluckstadt is at the end of its useful life. Limitations on the height and size of the facility has caused distribution issues for retailers.
“[The current warehouse] is not able to take on greater volume, which is a major problem they were having as they couldn’t get enough volume in delayed shipments and variety that retailers want,” Kornbrek said.
The current 211,000 square foot warehouse, which was established in 1983, is being replaced with a facility nearly double its size.
ABC reports that it distributes over 3 million cases of spirits and wines annually, serving over 600 off-premise accounts and 1,500 on-premise accounts while offering over 3,800 stocked items and 14,400 special order items in various sizes.
For years, lawmakers discussed modernizing operations and expanding the facility to store the growing amount of inventory desired while increasing efficiency and improving distribution.
In the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers authorized $55 million for the Department of Revenue to work through the Department of Finance and Administration to construct and equip a new warehouse within 50 miles of the state Capitol. The following year, lawmakers authorized an additional $40 million for the project.
To help pay for the new facility, lawmakers imposed a bailment fee – a fee for the storage of product – in addition to the other state-imposed taxes and fees being collected from the sale of liquor and wine.
Requests for proposals for the design and construction were received in July 2024, with W.G. Yates and Sons selected as the design/build contractor.
Kornbrek said construction on the new 400,000 square foot ABC warehouse to be located on over 32 acres off of Soldiers Colony Road in Canton is on schedule and roughly 25 percent complete.
The projected construction completion date is August 2026.
From his perspective, Kornbrek said it has been a good project for his team at DFA.
“On my watch, anything that’s not exciting is a good project,” he said jokingly. “It’s been real good working with the team we have in place.”
Mississippi is one of 17 states that exerts direct control over the sale and distribution of alcohol, a remnant of Prohibition-era policy. Whether or not that control should continue has been hotly debated in recent years.
Frank Corder
