New Brunswickers who are missing the sting of Kentucky bourbon or the smoothness of California wine can now find bottles back on liquor store shelves — at least, in one location.
New Brunswick Liquor started selling its back-stock of American products at its warehouse location in Salisbury just over a week ago, according to CEO Lori Stickles.
“We really want to maximize the value for New Brunswick. We own these products; let’s sell them, let’s get our money out of these products,” Stickles said.
“We’re actively working to recover that investment for the people of New Brunswick, reduce waste. We don’t want to be storing these products or, you know, in the event some of them get too old, then you have to destroy the product.”
American alcohol has been off the shelves of N.B. Liquor’s corporate stores since March, but the Crown corporation is now trying to recoup its losses on $3.4 million worth of product at the depot store in Salisbury.
When U.S. products were pulled off the shelves of corporate Alcool N.B. Liquor stores in March as part of the province’s response to the trade war with our southern neighbours, the Crown corporation had about $4 million of American inventory.
Stickles told the legislature’s public accounts committee that there’s about $3.4 million worth of that stock left.
The products have been available to agency stores and licensed establishments all along, but demand has been weak, she said.
“Customers are making the choice not to buy that product. So licensees, for example, a lot of them reprinted menus, they’ve redone how they make their drinks. So they’re moving on,” she said.
New Brunswick initially stopped purchasing U.S. alcohol in February but held off on removing it from the shelves until March. N.B. Liquor has typically sold about $40 million a year of American booze.
The opposition Tories began calling for N.B. Liquor to start selling its existing stock in May, with Saint-Croix MLA Kathy Bockus asking in question period: “Why don’t we just sell the U.S. liquor?”
The minister responsible for the Crown corporation, Luke Randall, touted the increased shelf space for Canadian producers in response, while acknowledging that some U.S. products were still being sold at agency stores.
PC MLA Tammy Scott-Wallace, who represents the riding that holds the Salisbury depot store, said it’s the right move to recoup the money N.B. Liquor had already spent, and the depot is the right place to do it.
“That is what this store is: It’s a depot that liquidates product. It’s been seven months that it’s been sitting in a box, so I’m encouraged it’s being sold,” she said.
