Shoppers will soon be able to stroll the grounds of the Desert Ridge Marketplace and Tempe Marketplace shopping centers with a beer, cocktail or glass of wine.

Vestar, the owner of both centers, said the new open container liquor program will lead to more sales for its tenants and is a much needed amenity for the communities where these centers are located.

“We say it helps everyone by increasing time spent at the shopping center, which increases everyone’s sales,” Pat McGinley, the president of management services for Vestar, told the Business Journal. “You can get a drink at a movie theater and walk around resorts and golf courses with a cocktail, so why not retail centers?”

Vestar will be able to do this thanks to legislation it has been trying to get the Arizona State Legislature to pass for years.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.