Liquor agency store

A buyer of a rural convenience or general store meets the agency store when the store sells alcohol. The Nova Scotia government describes agency stores as local businesses authorized to sell a selection of alcoholic beverages in rural areas, and lists co-ops, general and convenience stores and markets among them.

Nova Scotia and British Columbia

In a 2014 release, the Nova Scotia government said the NSLC would issue requests for proposals for the communities it named and award agency stores to successful applicants. A Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation tender notice for one community invited proposals from businesses to sell NSLC products as an Authorized Agent in a named community, and refers readers to the tender documents for contract detail. In 2021, the British Columbia government approved moving rural agency store authorizations to a Rural Licensee Retail Store liquor licence regulated by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch.

What to check or ask

• The agency contract, its remaining term and any renewal terms
• Whether the contract can be assigned to a buyer, and whether the NSLC must approve
• How the location was awarded, and whether a new request for proposals could follow

See can I transfer my liquor licence when I sell and the licensee retail store entry for the British Columbia licence class. Check the rules in the province where the store operates.