The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) saw an uptick in cannabis sales and a downward trend for booze sales in its third financial quarter last year.
According to the NSLC, total sales for Sept. 30 to Dec. 29, 2024, were $230.9 million, which represents a 0.6 per cent decrease compared to the same time period in 2023. Beverage alcohol sales were down 1.1 per cent to $199.2 million while cannabis sales rose 2.7 per cent to $31.7 million.
“The timing of the New Year’s Eve holiday impacted our current results overall,” said Greg Hughes, president and CEO of the NSLC, in a news release. “This quarter, the holiday fell outside the reporting period, contributing to a slight decrease in total sales over the previous year.”
Sales to bars, pubs and restaurants dropped to $12.9 million (a 2.5 per cent decrease) while sales to private wine and specialty stores spiked by 14.8 per cent to $4.7 million.
Total earnings for the third financial quarter were $75.7 million, which represented a 5.4 per cent decreased compared to the previous fiscal year.
Other highlights include:
- a 3.8 per cent increase in craft beer sales ($7.8 million)
- a 2.7 per cent decrease in local wine sales ($4.9 million)
- a 3.2 per cent decrease in local spirit sales ($4.2 million)
In the first quarter of the NSLC’s 2024-2025 fiscal year, total sales valued $222.5 million. The second quarter raked in $245.8 million.
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