Prices at the SAQ are increasing; they explain why
Posted January 28, 2025 11:48 am.
Last Updated January 28, 2025 2:35 pm.
The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) is breaking down why prices for most of its products are increasing over the next two months.
The Port of Montreal strike, the strength of the American dollar, and the modernization of the bottle deposit refund system are among the main factors.
“The SAQ is making this announcement now to provide predictability to its customers,” the provincial Crown corporation said in a news release Tuesday.
The first price increase will happen Feb. 16 – delayed by two weeks to coincide with the end of the GST tax break. It will impact most products with the exception of low-priced wines under $12.
Some of the factors involved in the mark-up, according to the SAQ, are the variation of sea and land transportation costs linked to the Port of Montreal strike; recent purchase price negotiations with suppliers; the increase in fees paid to Éco Entreprises Québec; and the modernization of the bottle collection system.
The SAQ specifies the mark-up “allows it to cover its operating costs and generate a net result that it remits entirely to the Government of Quebec.”
A second price increase is expected March 1.
Products marked up on that day will be plastic and aluminum containers eligible for a deposit refund; products purchased by the SAQ in U.S. dollars; and certain products from Quebec producers and bottlers.
The SAQ says the reasons behind the second increase are the variation in the U.S. exchange rate; the Contribution financière du producteur (CFP) used to finance the implementation of the deposit modernization; and the postponement of the refund deposit on glass containers.
The SAQ says the exact price adjustments will be indicated on its website as of Feb. 10 and Feb. 24, respectively.
