SAQ plans to open mini-stores, deliver with Uber Eats

The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) could offer some 30 products in your local convenience store or grocery store in the coming months.

By summer, the Crown corporation plans to open 92 such “mini-stores” in urban businesses, it announced late Wednesday.

The mini-store concept, called Zone SAQ, will offer between 30 and 40 products.

The idea behind this concept is to adapt to consumer behavior, explained Isabelle Dufour, vice-president of retail network operations, in an interview Wednesday.

“We realized there were small gaps in the market, where customers weren’t necessarily going to the branch closest to their home,” she explained.

By being present in stores with extended hours, the SAQ would be able to “help out a customer” when its branches are closed, she continued.

The SAQ has been testing this model since last spring. It conducted pilot projects in eight locations in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Granby, and Lévis.

In October, it announced it was delaying a wider rollout to allow time for further consultations.

These discussions helped to clearly explain the model to stakeholders who had public health concerns, said Dufour.

The concept had also drawn criticism from the SAQ Store and Office Employees Union, which saw it as a form of privatization of the Crown corporation’s operations.

The union was concerned about the ability of grocery and convenience stores hosting SAQ Zones to ensure responsible alcohol sales with the same rigor as in-store employees.

Dufour insists the SAQ will take the necessary steps to ensure that retailers practice responsible alcohol sales.

They will have to conduct tests with underage customers twice a year and report to the SAQ. “We will also want to test them randomly, just as we do with our stores,” Dufour warns.

The executive mentions that the establishments selected through the call for tenders already have expertise in this area, since they already sell alcoholic beverages or tobacco.

Deliveries via Uber Eats

The SAQ also announced its selection of Uber Eats to conduct a pilot delivery project. It plans to test this concept starting at the end of February on the Island of Montreal.

Once again, the Crown corporation wants to adapt to consumer behavior, which appreciates being able to avoid a trip to the store, explains Sandrine Bourlet, vice-president of marketing at the SAQ, during the same interview.

When the SAQ mentioned its intention to explore a partnership with a delivery platform last spring, trade tensions with the United States were at their peak.

At that time, the CEO of the Crown corporation, Jacques Farcy, stated that the choice of platform should be “compatible” with the political context.

The SAQ is ultimately partnering with the American platform, Uber Eats, for its pilot project.

The Crown corporation respected the Legault government’s political decision to remove American alcoholic beverages from its shelves. In the case of the platform selection, it was a business decision, clarifies Bourlet.

“We opened the call for proposals, and the only collaborative delivery platforms that decided to apply were those with American or near-American nationalities,” she replied.

Uber was selected because it already has experience in alcohol delivery, notably with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). Being able to respect the SAQ’s “sales ethics” was a prerequisite, added Bourlet.

Not all Uber drivers will be able to act as alcohol distributors. They will have to undergo training. The SAQ will also use mystery shopper tests to ensure its rules are followed.

Once the pilot project is complete, the SAQ could open the door to other platforms, provided they meet its criteria. “That’s the goal,” replied Bourlet.

Two more closures

The SAQ also announced the closure of two stores located in shopping malls in the Greater Montreal area: Mail Champlain in Brossard and Eaton Centre in Montreal.

The fact that these are two stores in shopping malls doesn’t mean the SAQ wants to leave this area. “We have several stores located in shopping malls that are doing very well,” clarified Dufour.

The SAQ does not plan to announce any further closures this year. “Last year, we made two waves of announcements,” said the executive. “Our store strategy is usually done once a year, and we’ll only do it once this year.”

She also plans to open 15 new stores in various remote regions of Quebec.

The SAQ is developing new concepts because it has to deal with declining alcohol consumption and changing consumer habits.

The quantity of litres of alcohol sold by the Crown corporation has decreased at an annual rate of two to three per cent over the past two fiscal years, according to its most recent annual report.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews