Residents of New Brunswick seeking the familiar taste of Kentucky bourbon or the velvety texture of California wine can now purchase these American products at a single location within the province. New Brunswick Liquor has commenced the sale of its surplus American inventory at its warehouse in Salisbury, a move disclosed by CEO Lori Stickles over a week ago.
Stickles emphasized the objective of maximizing returns for New Brunswick residents by selling off the owned American products to recover investments and mitigate wastage. She stressed the importance of avoiding product spoilage due to extended storage periods.
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 in response to trade tensions with the United States, the Crown corporation was left with about $4 million worth of American inventory. Stickles informed the public accounts committee of the legislature that approximately $3.4 million worth of the inventory remains unsold.
Although these products have been accessible to agency stores and licensed establishments, consumer demand has been sluggish, leading to a surplus of American stock. Stickles noted that customers have opted to forego purchasing these products, prompting establishments to revise their offerings.
The halt in purchasing U.S. alcohol by New Brunswick dates back to February, with the removal from shelves occurring in March. Historically, N.B. Liquor has recorded annual sales of around $40 million from American alcohol.
The opposition party, the Tories, had advocated for the sale of existing American stock as early as May, with MLA Kathy Bockus questioning the delay in offloading the U.S. liquor.
Minister Luke Randall,