Société des alcools du Québec
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| Crown Corporation | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Headquarters | 905, avenue De Lorimier, Montreal, Quebec |
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Key people
|
Alain Brunet, CEO |
| Products | Liquor sales to consumers and businesses |
| Revenue | 3,073.6 billion CAD (2016) |
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Number of employees
|
More than 7500 (2016) |
| Website | www.saq.com |
The Société des alcools du Québec (English: Quebec Alcohol Corporation), often abbreviated and referred to as SAQ, is a provincial Crown corporation in Quebec responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages within the province.
The official legislation governing the SAQ's operations and management is the Act respecting the Société des alcools du Québec (R.S.Q. S-13). The sole share-holder is the Minister of Finance of the Quebec government.
The Société des alcools du Québec headquarters are located in Montreal.
The symbol of the SAQ represents 3 aspects of SAQ stores:
The SAQ operates 406 stores([1] under six different banners throughout Quebec:
Some wines and low-alcoholic-content beverages are also sold in Quebec in supermarkets.
As the provider of alcohol in Quebec, the SAQ's market data gives an overview of alcohol consumption in the province. In its 2015-2016 annual report, the Corporation states that 79.3% of sales through the SAQ stores and grocery stores were table wines. The remainder was shared among various products: 14.8% were spirits, 3.9% coolers, 1.7% beers and 0.3% ciders and other products.
The legal drinking age is 18 in Quebec and there are restrictions as to who can purchase alcoholic beverages (R.S.Q. I-8.1). By law, SAQ stores cannot sell alcohol to minors or adults intent on distributing to minors (including the holders of parental authority). Nonetheless, underage persons are not restricted from SAQ stores. Official policy is to ask for photo identification from any customer who looks under 25.
The opening hours of most SAQ stores are dictated by the provincial law, which forbids sales of all alcohol before 9 AM and after 11 PM. However most stores close at 6 PM on Monday through Wednesday, 9 Thursday and Friday, and at 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday. There are however SAQ Express outlets which carry a smaller range of products are open from 11 AM to 10 PM daily. Another 10-20 franchises also exist that allow to sell SAQ products (including liquor) until 9 PM, and all belong to Quebec-based grocery chain L'Inter-Marché, whose stores all open at 9 AM and close at 9 PM, every day.
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