Sudbury convenience stores say alcohol sales boosting their bottom line

With news that big box grocery stores are allowed to sell alcohol, CTV News decided to check in with local convenience stores to see how sales are going.

Store owners got the green light to sell alcohol on Sept. 5. We talked to two store owners in the Greater Sudbury area.

Himanshu Patel, Douglas Variety owner, said alcohol sales have been a real boost to his bottom line. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

Himanshu Patel has been operating Douglas Variety for the past 15 years with his wife. In early September, he started selling alcohol at his convenience store.

"It’s going good -- it has helped with business and everything and it’s convenient for the customers, too," Patel said.

Patel said he is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and sells alcohol during those hours. He added sales have surpassed what he projected and said it also helps boost the sales of other items.

"Customers like it OK," he said.

"They got convenience and they got any time, anywhere and nearby."

Amit Parmar owns three Kwik-Way stores in Hanmer, Val Caron and Minnow Lake.

Parmar said convenience is a big attraction for customers.

Amit Parmar owns three Kwik-Way stores in Hanmer, Val Caron and Minnow Lake. (Alana Everson/CTV News)

"They are happy that on their way back home they don’t have to go in a long lineup at the LCBO or Beer Store," he said.

"They can stop in, they can buy their milk they can buy their smokes, they can buy their lottery and they can buy their drinks, also. So, they have been very happy."

Parmar said his biggest challenge is pricing, given that delivery costs are based on volume. And he said product prices can change from week to week.

Still learning

"We are (still) learning with the pricing and invoicing," he said.

"We got the product, but we weren’t getting invoiced for four weeks, so everybody was guesstimating the price. There was not any store trying to price gouge, but we are still learning about the delivery charges and all those things."

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At Douglas Variety, Patel said when it comes to alcohol sales, 75 per cent of customers are regulars and 25 per cent are passersby. He said the busiest time for sales is in the evening and on holidays.

"You know, when the beer store LCBO closed, (those) days are very busy," he said.

"Almost more than double."

Patel said he has not yet had to turn away a customer trying to buy alcohol because of intoxication.

He added he asks customers who look under the age of 25 for ID almost daily.