Liquor store

A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors (typically in bottles), wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence (in the UK and Ireland), off-sale (in parts of Canada and the US), bottle shop, bottle store (South Africa) or, colloquially, bottle-o (in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada), liquor store (in Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand) or other similar terms. A very limited number of jurisdictions have an alcohol monopoly. In US states that are alcoholic beverage control (ABC) states, the term ABC store may be used.

Not to be confused with The Liquor Store.

Retailer’s Off Licence

Wine

Retailer’s Off Licence

Beer

Retailer’s Off Licence

Spirit

Retailer’s Off Licence (not required if Beer Retailer's Off Licence held)

Cider

Sweets Retailer’s Off Licence (not required if Wine Retailer's Off Licence held); "sweets" includes products like , metheglin and made-wine.^[12]^[13]

mead

– Only liquor stores may sell alcoholic beverages in urban areas, but unlike other provinces they are all privately owned and operated. Recently the province has allowed supermarkets to open attached liquor stores, but with separate entrances. Urban gasoline (petrol) stations and convenience stores may also have attached liquor stores but with separate entrances and ownership. In areas without another liquor retailer within a 15 km radius, any licensed retailer may sell beer, wine, and liquor, including convenience stores, general stores, and gasoline (petrol) stations. The AGLC has retained its monopoly over the wholesaling of imported beer, wine and distilled spirits, although the distribution of these products is done by a private contractor.

Alberta

British Columbia

Vintners Quality Alliance

– Only hotels may sell chilled domestic beer. Beer, wine, and liquor may be sold only by government-owned Liquor Marts. There are also a limited number of private wine retailers in Manitoba as well.

Manitoba

– Only government-owned liquor stores or rural government appointed liquor agencies may sell beer, wine, and liquor. Pandemic-era reforms have allowed pubs and restaurants to sell alcohol to takeaway. However, breweries and cottage wineries may sell directly to the public if they are licensed to do so.

New Brunswick

– Convenience stores may sell beer that is brewed locally. Wine, liquor, and imported beer is sold by only by government-owned liquor stores or rural government-appointed liquor agencies.

Newfoundland and Labrador

– In the past, only the provincially owned NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation) could sell liquor products, including hard liquor, wine, and beer. Many NSLC locations are connected to grocery stores. Over the past five years, the NSLC began to allow a limited number of small private agency stores to operate in rural areas with no NSLC location.

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Brewers Retail Inc.

– Only government-owned liquor stores may sell beer, wine, and liquor.

Prince Edward Island

– Only the provincially owned Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) may sell spirits. Wine (that is bottled in Québec or distributed through a Québec representative) and beer (that is brewed in Québec or imported beer that is distributed by a local brewer) may be purchased at dépanneurs (corner stores) and supermarkets, as well as specialist wine boutiques.

Québec

– Until the 2010s, only hotels, government-owned stores, and rural private/government liquor stores (i.e., private contractors) were allowed to sell beer, wine, and liquor. However, since then, the provincial Saskatchewan Liquor Board has licensed private stores in urban areas.

Saskatchewan

– Regulation of alcoholic beverage sales is a state responsibility. Generally, beer, wine and spirits must be purchased at a bottle shop, colloquially known as a bottle-o (pronounced /ˈbɒtloʊ/ BOT-loh).^[31] The term 'liquor store' is also in use. These may be a separate section of a supermarket or an individual shop – major retail corporations usually have their own bottle shop franchises located close to their supermarket operations. Drinking establishments may also sell liquor for off-site consumption. Drive-through alcoholic retail outlets are common. The state of Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory permit the sale of alcoholic beverages from supermarkets and convenience stores.

Australia

– An off-licence is granted initially for one year and then subsequently renewed every three years.^[32] Supermarkets may sell beer, cider and wine with no more than 15% ABV only. Spirits (whisky, brandy, rum, gin, vodka, etc.), including ready to drink (RTD) mixed spirits, must be purchased at separate bottle shops. Most convenience stores, called dairies, are not licensed to sell alcohol.^[33] Off-licence is also used for beverage outlets inside sporting venues, whereby alcoholic beverages are bought "outside" the point-of-sale, even if it was inside a food outlet, because it can be consumed at the stands, but is still consumed within the vicinity of the venue itself, and cannot be taken out of the venue.

New Zealand

a type of speciality wine shop

Enoteca

Superette

Werner, Cosima (2023). Convenience Stores as Social Spaces: Trust and Relations in Deprived Neighborhoods in the U.S. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1666930771.