Nunavut’s First Beer & Wine Store Now Open in Iqaluit

IQALUIT, NU – Nunatsiaq Online reports that the first walk-in retail store for beer and wine in the territory of Nunavut is now open in Iqaluit.

Operated by the Nunavut Liquor Commission and built as an addition to the town’s previously existing liquor warehouse, the store was officially opened last Wednesday September 6th by Finance Minister Keith Peterson, although it still has some construction to be completed, including the installation of exterior siding.

23 brands of beer are available in single cans, six-packs, and 12-packs, with prices varying from $30 to $40 per 12-pack depending on the brand. More than 70 brands of wine are also available. Customers are required to register for an account, and are limited to purchasing one 12-pack and two bottles of wine per day. No stock is kept in the store itself, with orders being retrieved from the adjacent warehouse when they are placed.

The opening follows a 2015 plebiscite in which more than 77% of Iqaluit residents voted in favour of a retail beer and wine store being opened in town. Plebiscites in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay earlier this year had similar results, although the government has not yet confirmed if stores will also be opened in either or both of those hamlets.

Retail hours at the Iqaluit beer and wine store are 12:00 noon to 7:00 PM on Tuesday to Saturday. For more details, see the full Nunatsiaq Online article.

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