Another Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) retail building was sold this week, making the Assiniboia outlet at 208 Second Avenue East the 11th SLGA building sold this year.
The Assiniboia property was sold at auction for $260,000 on Aug. 14.
Earlier, the Government of Saskatchewan announced it will leave the liquor retail business and all 34 SLGA retail stores across the province were closed this year.
Each separate location had a different closure date, and on Mar. 31, the Moose Jaw SLGA property ceased operations. The Moose Jaw SLGA retail store was located at the former train station at 5 Manitoba Street East.
Lori Carr, the minister responsible for the SLGA, said the reason for the retail outlet closures was because of diminishing profits.
"With year-over-year declines in net revenue at SLGA retail, our government has made the decision to get out of the business of selling liquor," she said.
SLGA previously operated out of 34 retail locations province-wide, with SLGA Retail Inc. owning 19 of those buildings. These 19 buildings are now repurposed, listed for sale, or have already been sold. Most sales have been to the public sector, and four locations have been repurposed for other government use.
The effect of these closures has been felt across the province. The closures meant that around 400 SLGA employees were laid off this year, including four full-time and nine part-time employees in Moose Jaw.
Property sales have been completed in Fort Qu’Appelle, Watrous, Biggar, Esterhazy, La Ronge, Buffalo Narrows, Creighton, Carlyle, Humboldt, and Moosomin. In total, $3,515,000 has been raised from the sale of these buildings to date.
The SLGA continues to operate and acts as the wholesaler and distributor of beverage alcohol in the province, with a focus on popular high-volume products.
The organization also regulates liquor, gaming, and cannabis in Saskatchewan. “We’ve started with divesting the retail side of things so we’re going to finish that and the wholesale business is doing well the way it is,” said Carr.
In 2022-2023, SLGA reported a record profit of $518 million.
Interested businesses can establish third party warehouses under the new regulations, and can distribute specialty beverages including beer, wine, and spirits. The government stated that the change was made to help meet the demand for specialty and less popular beverage products in the province.
The SLGA currently operates out of the SLGA Distribution Centre in Regina, located at 12252 Ewing Ave.
Former SLGA retail locations currently up for sale are listed on the SLGA website.
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