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American alcohol sales are down in Saskatchewan, and liquor stores are taking notice.
Every customer walks into the Sherwood Co-op Quance Liquor Store in Regina looking for something different, according to Bogdan Anghel. The store manager said the business has stopped buying 60 wine products from the United States due to lack of demand.
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“We definitely saw a decline, and we are shrinking our selection just to give more space to Canadian,” Anghel said. “We have noticed an increase in Canadian wines.”
The U.S. wine section has been reduced from 12 feet to eight feet over the past year, he added. The extra space has been filled with wines from the Okanogan, B.C., and Niagara Falls, Ont.
The Saskatchwean Liqour and Gaming Authority said United States wine sales are down significantly in the province. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
Saskatchewan and Alberta are the only two provinces that haven’t pulled U.S. alcohol off shelves in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
But Anghel said there is still a large demand for American-made bourbon, both locally and beyond provincial borders.
“People outside the province, they usually drive by and say ‘I’m going to stop by to see what they have,’” he said. “We’ve had occasions where they actually bought by the case. It’s in demand. Especially outside (the province) because they don’t have access to it.”
Troy Verboom, CEO of Sherwood Co-op, said customers are happy to see a wider alcohol selection, though some customers do question why American liquor is still on the shelves.
“We still hear from our customers when they see a product on our shelves they they don’t believe it should be there,” he said.
“On the same token, we hear the ones that say ‘Thank you for giving me the option.’”
Verboom said small maple leaf logos mark all Canadian products at both the liquor and grocery stores, so customers can make an informed decision.
“We continue to do everything we can, both in food and liquor, to call out the Canadian product, because that’s what we want to promote,” he said.
“At the same time, we want the customer to be able to make the decision that they want to make when they enter our stores to shop.”
American liquor sales plummet provincially
The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) has seen a drop in demand for United States alcohol over the past fiscal year.
Warren Knaeding, the minister responsible for SLGA, said American alcohol sales are down by 40 per cent across the province.
“Our sales to the U.S. were were down fairly significantly,” he said. “I’d say U.S. wine probably led that decrease.”
Bogdan Anghel, store manager at the Sherwood Co-op Quance Liquor Store in Regina, said there is still significant demand for American bourbon, both locally and beyond provincial borders. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
Knaeding said its up to the customer to make a statement with where they spend their money.
“Our government’s really not in the business of telling independent businesses what they can or cannot do,” he said. “We’ve just taken the position that ultimately, the customer is going to make that decision as to what they want to consume.”
Alcohol sales are down across the province by three per cent in the last fiscal year, he said. However, products produced in Saskatchewan have gone up by five per cent.
“I think is a really good indication of the of the quality of products that we have available being produced in the province here,” Knaeding said.
