A Comparison of Private and Government-Controlled Liquor Stores in British Columbia

Abstract

British Columbia (BC), Canada, has unique regulations for sales of alcohol in off-premise establishments where both government (n = 199) and privately controlled stores (n = 977) sell all types of off-premise alcoholic beverages. The purpose of this study is to compare the different marketing approaches of government and private stores and examine how their sales vary in relation to demographic characteristics within the regions that they operate. Data was collected for 89 geographic areas of BC from the following sources: a survey of BC private stores, BC demographic statistics, and sales records for different types of alcoholic beverages from private and government stores. Private stores had higher average prices, longer hours of operation, and were more likely to refrigerate beverages than government stores. Also, types of beverage sold differed between government and private stores depending on the demographic characteristics of the regions being served.