NSLC Signature in Bridgewater, NS. Photo: NSLC
Following this week’s report from Nova Scotia Auditor General on the NSLC the provinces Progressive Conservatives are calling for changes.
The most troubling revelation from AG Kim Adair-MacPherson’s report was that the NSLC does not have clear policies on what gets displayed where in their stores.
“For a corporation this size, we expected to find policies and processes to show that important decisions are made and supported in a consistent manner,” Adair-MacPherson said in a video about the report. “Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation does not have clear policies and procedures in place to determine what products it sells and promotes, or how to price its merchandise, or where to display it in stores …, the product listing decisions can have a direct impact on sales and overall success.”
The PCs feel this needs to be changed and the NSLC needs to work with local suppliers to help promote and sell their products.
PC Leader Tim Houston says it does not make sense for the provincial government to invest as much as they have in alcohol suppliers for them to then face issues with getting their products listed by the province’s liquor corporation.
“I feel like there is a disconnect currently with the NSLC and how they choose to display local products,” Houston said.
He says shopping trends have shifted, especially with the pandemic saying people are no longer looking to browse for long periods of time but rather they either know what they want ahead of time or they will pick products that are in prime shelf space.
“Research has shown that our locally made products can compete with those from around the world in terms of quality so we feel if Nova Scotians see products in more prominent locations they will realize what we have.”
According to Houston if Nova Scotia truly wants to embrace the “buy local” initiative it is necessary for the government to assist local suppliers in overcoming hurdles like these especially when they are present in Crown Corporations.
The NSLC has responded to the AG report with NSLC spokesperson Beverly Ware saying they will respect the findings. However, she did explain that the report looked at data from 2017-2019 and since then more work has been done to establish a more robust policy on how they stock their shelves.
