The mayor of Owen Sound believes residents will be well-served by the new 12-thousand square foot location on 9th Avenue East.
The store officially opened Wednesday morning with a ceremonial uncorking.
Mayor Deb Haswell says this expansion is a signal of renewed investment in the community, and she’s confident we’re going to see more economic growth and that the LCBO is ahead of the curve on this.
Haswell says her first impression of the store made a lasting impact — saying it’s refreshing, and makes the old store look tired, sad, and cramped.
She says it partly makes up for losing the downtown location, but adds that’s a fight council will not give up on.
She says they will see how things go, but maybe in the future there can be a smaller outlet downtown or perhaps on the city’s west side.
LCBO President and CEO Bob Peter says they did look at the downtown site first, but the space and parking would not accommodate the size of store they wanted to build.
Peter says a store of this size is considered a “destination” outlet — and Haswell hopes that will better serve our tourists, and it will keep the city’s residents from driving to Collingwood for choice wines.
The store carries over 26-hundred products — which is about 600 more than the old downtown location could carry.
There is also a walk-in refrigerated beer area that Peter says is energy efficient, because nine months of the year it is cooled using outside air.
Peter says there is also room for expansion of product lines inside this location.
The opening comes as the Liquor Control Board reports another record year for sales totalling 4.71 billion dollars for the last fiscal year.
That is the 17th straight year of record sales — an increase of 218 million over last year.
And the LCBO transferred a record 1.63 billion dollars to the Ontario government.
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May 16, 2012
LCBO UNCORKS A NEW DESTINATION STORE IN OWEN SOUND
Toasting with Ontario sparkling wine and local craft beer, the LCBO today officially opened its new store in Owen Sound at 1613 9th Avenue East.
This 12,000 square foot store has more than 8,000 square feet of display space 50 per cent more than the 2nd Avenue East store it replaces. It also offers close to 2,600 products in total 500 more than the former store.
“This new store significantly increases beverage alcohol service in Owen Sound and will provide one-stop shopping for area residents and visitors,” said LCBO President & CEO Bob Peter. “New stores like this increase customer satisfaction and have helped LCBO deliver 18 consecutive record dividend transfers to the province, including an all-time high $1.6 billion dividend in fiscal 2011-12.”
Joining Bob Peter for the opening were Owen Sound Mayor Deborah Haswell and Sharon-Lee Wideman, member of MADD Canadas Grey North Bruce community group.
“I’m pleased to take part in the opening of this impressive new store that matches LCBO products and services with the evolving tastes of our growing population,” said Mayor Haswell. “This store reflects LCBO’s commitment to providing Owen Sound residents and visitors with a wide product selection and knowledgeable, responsible service.”
Among the stores many features are a large Ontario wine section with almost 250 VQA wines and a Vintages fine wine and premium spirits section offering some 500 products. The store also features a large walk-in cold room for beer and ready-to-drink cocktails and coolers, mixed-drink displays, a gift section and a portable tasting bar.
“Providing responsible service, whether at the checkout or by recommending tips on responsible hosting, is at the heart of LCBO and its clearly reflected in this store,” said Wideman. “Well-trained LCBO staff play an important role in keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors and intoxicated adults while encouraging moderate consumption.”
“LCBO stores are no longer just about bottles on the shelf,” notes Peter. “This is a place where you can get advice on planning a dinner party, improve your product knowledge and sample new and featured products from Ontario and 82 different countries.”