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Co-op liquor store opens

Dec 14, 2018 | 12:23 PM

A decent-sized crowd braved the cool temperatures this morning, as the ribbon was cut to mark the official opening of the city’s newest liquor store at the Cornerstone shopping district.

Lake Country Co-op’s new liquor store will offer a growler station and large variety of products.

The Co-op’s CEO Dean McKim said it took quite a bit of work to get to this day.

“Really for the past two and half years, we’ve been working with local companies to try and figure out a way to acquire a licence and that’s what we did,” he said.

Co-op reached out to other businesses to acquire a liquor retail licence as the City of Prince Albert was not willing to allow any more stores in the city despite Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) making two more permits available in the city.

“We basically negotiated a deal with a number of existing establishments to acquire their licence,” McKim said.

The CEO added the store also boasts nearly 6,000 different kinds of product. The offerings range from Saskatchewan brewed beers to some pricey bottles of scotch.

“We’ve got a variety that is second to none,” McKim said.

Jill Dumanski, marketing director for Lake Country Co-op told paNOW that it has been a lot of work to getting the new store ready to go. She added that there are some differences in marketing alcohol compared to other products. Dumanski said they are prepared to meet the challenge and to make sure the story operates in a safe and responsible way.  

“We really think this is great for our community,” she said.

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn