Saskatoon will have two private liquor stores by summer 2014.
Saskatoon Co-op is expecting to open a private liquor store in Blairmore by next winter, and Sobeys will have one in Stonebridge the following summer.
The stores were chosen through an open request for proposal process.
Co-op already has experience running liquor stores, with 36 already existing in bigger cities throughout Alberta. Co-op also has 24 smaller stores in rural regions of Saskatchewan that sell liquor to small communities.
Like Co-op, Sobeys isn’t new to the booze business and have several private liquor stores operating in Alberta.
Saskatchewan’s liquor retail system is a mix of public and private stores: There are 79 public locations, 185 private stores that operate as liquor retailers for small rural communities, and approximately 440 private off-sales.
