The Beer Store is governed by the Liquor Control Act (LCA) and is therefore regulated by the LCBO. As of December 2016, the company operates over 450 retail stores which sell beer to the general public. This makes The Beer Store (TBS) the largest distributor of domestic beer in Ontario, selling to over 20,723 licensed customers. Although many imported beers are available at the Beer Store, the LCBO serves as the primary importer. Once imported, the product is then sold to the Beer Store for further distribution. As the primary retailer of Ontario, The Beer Store sells more than 720 brands of beer and over 1,000 home consumer beer selling units from 180 different brewers around the world. Larger Beer Store outlets typically stock around 600 beer selling units with the smallest Beer Stores stocking around 200 units.