Residents of New Brunswick who have been yearning for the flavors of Kentucky bourbon or the richness of California wine can now rejoice as liquor store shelves are once again stocked with American products, albeit in one location.
New Brunswick Liquor has commenced the sale of its surplus American inventory at its warehouse facility in Salisbury just over a week ago, as confirmed by CEO Lori Stickles.
Stickles emphasized the importance of maximizing the value of these products for New Brunswick, stating, “We own these products; let’s sell them, let’s get our money out of these products.” She further added, “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.
Following the removal of U.S. alcohol from Alcool N.B. Liquor stores in March due to trade tensions, the Crown corporation was left with approximately $4 million worth of American inventory.
Stickles informed the legislature’s public accounts committee that around $3.4 million worth of American stock remains unsold.
While these products have been available to agency stores and licensed establishments, the demand has been lackluster, as mentioned by Stickles.
Regarding the decrease in sales, Stickles mentioned, “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.”
New Brunswick halted the purchase of U.S. alcohol in February but delayed the removal from shelves until March. N.B. Liquor typically generates around $40 million annually from American alcohol sales.
The opposition party urged N.B. Liquor to sell its existing U.S. alcohol stock back in May, with MLA Kathy Bockus questioning the delay in doing so.
