Meet the convenience store owner with Sudbury's first liquor license

There is a lot of excitement these days down at Sudbury Tropical Market/Notre Dame Convenience. After applying to the province, owner Jean-Marie Ngouabe has become the first in the city to receive his liquor license under Premier Ford’s new expansion plans for alcohol.

Jean-Marie Ngouable has become the first in Greater Sudbury, as a convenience store owner, to receive his liquor license. Sudbury Tropical Market/Notre Dame Convenience will start selling alcohol on Sept. 5, 2024. The store is pictured here on July 19, 2024. (Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Ngouabe says his community has been asking and looking for more options and he suspects more will come on board once the process becomes more familiar. He adds alcohol is a very cultural thing for his clientele.

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“Definitely you know with after COVID being such a hard time for businesses and particularly grocery and convenience stores, we talking anything that can help revamp the industry would be great to see so we thought about putting this in as part of a thing that could bring customers in, so that’s the reason,” he told CTV News.

Ngouabe said many in the West African community work late or odd hours so he is hoping by adding this as an option, this could make it more convenient for customers.

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The store is also planning on extending his hours for the first month to see how it works, in conjunction with the needs of the neighbourhood.

“We’ve started opening up that cooler in the back as part of this project, we’re also going to bringing in more coolers to make sure that in the summer season and days like today, people can walk in and find what they need,” said Ngouabe.

Sudbury Tropical Market, along with other convenience stores across Ontario, will only be allowed to start selling alcohol on Sept. 5, as per the license and it will last a year.

As far as his plans for after that year.

“Well it’s all about how it works,” said Ngouabe.

“I’m new to this, I’m not an expert. I’m just hoping with following the rules and making sure that nothing happens, I will have an opportunity to reapply next year. If you know, there’s no change to the regulations.”

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The license was granted as the province announced plans that it would be expediting expansion plans.

The province said it plans to open up the alcohol market in Ontario will culminate in October when every licensed convenience, grocery and big box store will be able to sell beer, cider, wine and mixed drinks. Once that happens, the province estimates that alcohol will be available for purchase at 8,500 new locations, which is the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition.

With files from CTVNewsToronto.ca journalist Phil Tsekouras