How some Sask. liquor stores are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic

Liquor stores were declared essential in Saskatchewan as most other businesses in the province were closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. So how are some of them doing?

Adam Sperling, president of Sperling Silver Distilleries, operates two liquor retail stores: one in Regina and one in Saskatoon. He said two very different things are happening.

His Regina store has seen sales increase 15 to 20 per cent compared to the same time last year, he said. But the store in Saskatoon is seeing a drop of around 60 per cent. 

The store in downtown Saskatoon is in a normally busy area, surrounded by shops and restaurants, but with those closed there's not much traffic around.

"We're still open and we're doing curbside service and we're keeping our staff employed and we're serving the public," Sperling said. 

More wine?

Peggy Perry, president of Willow Park Wines and Spirits, said her business is seeing a small uptick in Regina as well — about five per cent higher than last year — but she expects it will level out.

"The weather's been horrible so they're not outside walking and biking as much as they're going to be," she said. 

"Now that the Easter holiday is behind us, we're expecting to see a substantial decrease in sales over the next week or two."

Perry said they're specifically seeing more wine sales. 

"That means people are thinking more about what they're going to have with dinner," she said. "We're seeing a lot of customer queries about wine and food pairing."

Both Perry and Sterling have seen a decrease in the wholesale side of business, so it's not that people are necessarily drinking more, they said, they're just drinking in a different place.  

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) said wholesale sales volume increased 22 per cent in the period of March 15 to 28 compared to last year. Volumes returned to normal the first two weeks of April.