Eight Ottawa grocery stores are now able to offer hard cider for sale on their shelves, the latest step in the province's ongoing plan to liberalize alcohol sales in Ontario.

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement that cider sales would be coming to the province's stores and supermarkets Friday at a Sobeys grocery store in Waterloo, Ont.

The eight Ottawa stores where cider will be available are:

Sobeys, 700 Terry Fox Dr.

Sobeys, 840 March Rd.

Sobeys, 193 Metcalfe St.

Metro, 3201 Strandherd Dr.

Real Canadian Superstore, 760 Eagleson Rd.

Farm Boy, 2030 Tenth Line.

Loblaws, 1980 Baseline Rd.

Brown's Your Independent Grocer, 1251 Main St.

The eight stores are among 60 locations scattered throughout the province where beer sales began last December.

Supermarkets currently selling beer are subject to strict rules about location in the store and who can handle it — and cider will be subject to the same rules.

The cider market is a fast-growing one: earlier this month the LCBO revealed its sales of Ontario craft cider have increased by 54 percent since last year.

The LCBO has also launched a request Friday for bids for 70 additional grocery stores to sell wine, beer and cider — sales that would begin in the fall.