BC Liquor Licensing 2019 Year in Review

As the year draws to close, we’d like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and wonderful New Year! This year, we did a lot of writing about liquor licenses in BC and Alberta. As liquor license consultants, we’re always thinking of ways to provide helpful information to liquor retail businesses and would-be liquor retailers.

Following is a summary of retail liquor and liquor licensing topics we penned this year (links to posts will open in a new tab).

In October, we posted “How to Get a Liquor License in Alberta”.

The article described the many types of Alberta liquor licenses. This primer is a handy resource for business owners considering applying for an Alberta liquor license and a good refresher. Read about Class A through F licenses, special events, hospitality and industrial liquor licenses.

We also published “What Businesses Should Do with an Underperforming BC Liquor Primary License”. If you don’t know what a BC liquor primary license is, check out the post for more info. It describes the types of businesses that require a liquor primary license, and what to do if your business isn’t performing. An audit by an experienced liquor license consultant is the place to start.

In August, we posted “Why You Need a Liquor Licensing Consultants Help to Get a Liquor License in BC”.

The post summarizes the requirements of the many types of BC liquor licenses. Because each type of BC liquor license has different requirements, most businesses work with a liquor license consultant. Consultants streamline the process and ensure requirements are met or exceeded. Once your license has been approved, they work with you and your team on operations and strategy to help  your business succeed.

We also published “5 Things You Need to Know About BC Liquor Licensing”. The post reviews the most important things to know about liquor licensing in BC. We reviewed license types, discussed the main cause of application rejection or delays, how sometimes buying a liquor license is your only option, and how liquor license application approval is just the beginning.

In July, we posted “Why Buying a Liquor License in BC May Be Your Only Option”.

Many business owners considering getting into the retail liquor business in BC don’t realize that applications aren’t being accepted at this time for licensee retail stores (a.k.a. “private liquor stores”), wine stores and specialty wine stores. That doesn’t mean you can’t start a business, but to do so, currently you’ll have to buy a turnkey operation.

In May, we published “How to Sell a Liquor License in BC or Alberta”.

Sometimes businesses sell their liquor license and assets. If you’re considering selling a private liquor store, wine store, pub, nightclub, or restaurants, read tips that can help you make your business more attractive to buyers.

In March, we posted “How to Spot a Good Liquor Licensing Specialist”.

The post describes how important it is to vet liquor license consultants and provides a list of traits common to successful consultants.

In February, we published “Should I Buy a Liquor Store or Build a Liquor Store”.

If you’re considering jumping into the private retail liquor sector, before you get your feet wet, read this post. The post provides a detailed list of pros and cons of buying vs. building.

If you have questions about liquor licensing in BC or Alberta, give us a shout. If you need guidance or help with liquor license applications, operations planning and strategy, work with us! Rebecca Hardin and her team make liquor licensing a much easier process. We do the busywork, so you don’t have to! We’ve helped countless retail liquor and hospitality businesses succeed.