The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), the province’s liquor commission, has seen its online sales “explode” by about 200 per cent after seeing a jump in clients at its stores when confinement measures were implemented at the end of March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Online sales usually represent two per cent of the SAQ’s sales and the vast majority of orders are delivered to its branches.
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has prompted about 70 per cent of customers to opt for home delivery, according to CEO Catherine Dagenais.
She announced the news while speaking at a virtual conference organized by the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. The delivery times are longer than the usual schedule of three to five days, she added.