Mayors protest SAQ store closures as sales continue to fall in third quarter

Seven Quebec communities are protesting SAQ store closures, arguing they will hurt local businesses and economies.

Seven smaller Quebec communities are protesting the announced closure of Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) stores.

The mayor of Baie-d’Urfé says a local mall by Highway 20 needs the traffic brought in by the SAQ here, which is slated to close in august.

“It is a close proximity mall, it is our only shopping centre, so I think it’s short-sighted of the government to pull the plug, especially at this given time when there is so much uncertainty going on economically. It sends the wrong message to the people,” said Mayor Heidi Ektvedt.

Alena Maroz owns Salon Jack Steel and says fewer visitors at this mall will hurt financially.

“There’s no support,” she said.

Meanwhile, Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone says keeping the money in the community has a big impact in smaller towns.

“For us, it’s an empty space that will probably be left vacant. My fear is that the population will travel to out of town,” she said.

“They will have to travel elsewhere and will be spending their money at those grocery stores rather than putting that money in my local economy.”

The mayors say that since the SAQ is a monopoly, they must be open to consultation before any closures.

An online petition through the National Assembly is open until May 26.

• READ MORE: SAQ closing 2 Montreal locations as home delivery pilot project brews

The alcohol board once again saw its sales fall year-on-year in the third quarter — its biggest of the year — which it attributes to changes in customer buying habits.

The SAQ sales totalled $1.41 billion in the quarter to Jan. 4, down 0.3 per cent during the same period a year earlier.

The SAQ points out that “the downward trend in volumes observed over the last two years for this network is continuing and can be explained in particular by changes in customer buying habits.”

It confirms that in the light of its third quarter results, combined with those for the first and second quarters, it will not be able to achieve its net profit target for the year.

In response to these changes in Quebecers’ shopping habits, the SAQ announced last week that it will close five more stores, bringing the total to eight by 2025-2026.

It will also be launching “micro-branches” located in other stores and running a delivery pilot project.

In dollar terms, sales fell by $6.9 million, or 0.5 per cent, in the branch and specialist centre network in the third quarter. However, sales to the wholesaler-grocer network rose by $3.1 million or 2.5 per cent.

Online sales fell by 2.9 per cent to $43.3 million, representing four per cent of sales to consumers.

With files from The Canadian Press