SAQ agency stores

When the SAQ determines that a municipality meets the eligibility criteria AND that having an agency store there is feasible, it publishes an advertisement in a local newspaper and invites interested businesses to reply to a call for tenders.

To obtain an SAQ agency store permit, a business must :

• be located in the area covered by the call for tenders;
• hold a liquor permit issued by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ);
• provide a financial statement; and
• satisfy the SAQ’s business criteria. In particular, it must meet one of the following two criteria :
  
  • The business centre of the municipality or area affected by the proposed SAQ agency store must be located at least 15 kilometres from the nearest SAQ store; or
  • the business centre of the municipality or area affected by the proposed SAQ agency store must be located at least 5 km from the nearest SAQ store, and :
    
    • be in a municipality or area whose permanent population is less than 6,000 residents;
    • have the product sales potential set by the SAQ, once the cannibalization of sales from the existing SAQ store and agency store network has been taken into account; and
    • provide a representative sampling of SAQ products (100 to 140 linear feet of shelf space).

Businesses that sign an agency store agreement must also :

• undertake to order all products through the supply SAQ store and take delivery of the ordered products there;
• assume the cost of transporting the products to their store;
• display sales prices that are the same as those displayed in SAQ stores.

Agency store agreements are valid for a term of five years. The SAQ reserves the right to extend the authorization for one or more additional periods not exceeding a combined total of five years.

For more information, please contact the Location and Real Estate Transactions Department by sending an email message to :

AGENCESSAQDEMINFO@saq.qc.ca