Downtown Moncton Will Get NB Liquor’s First Specialty Wine Shop
MONCTON – The Hub City’s wine enthusiasts would soon be able to buy specialty beverages at a boutique store at 55 Queen St. downtown, it was announced Wednesday.
NB Liquor is awarding a tender to FiveFive Queen Development to build the flagship specialty wine store. Dubbed “Expérience by ANBL,” the shop will feature various unique products not available in other stores. It will also include specialty spirits.
“There’s a need for that type of style store here in New Brunswick,” said NB Liquor communications officer Mark Barbour in an interview with Huddle. “We know the wine category is growing year-over-year. And there’s demand from this kind of clientele that looks for different kinds of wine, not only the wine aficionados, but also people that are just getting into wine.”
The store will span around 5,000 square feet, with around 3,500 square feet of retail space, and a tasting room for exclusive events.
Greater Moncton was chosen as the location of the flagship store because the area has the highest wine sales in the province, said Barbour. So far, there are no plans to open any similar stores in other parts of the province.
“We know that Moncton is a hub also naturally for New Brunswick and the Maritimes,” he said. “So we know that would serve well not only the Greater Moncton area but also those who visit Moncton from across the province.”
Bill Hennessey, the director of FiveFive Queen, said in an interview with Huddle that the store will be a good fit with the development.
“It’s an amenity that’s going to work hand in hand with the Gahan [House Pub and Brewery] that will be adjacent. So for the residents that live at FiveFive, it’s a fantastic amenity,” he said.
“And also there’s a lot of redevelopments in downtown in Moncton, and I think [the shop] is going to compliment a lot of the other initiatives that are currently underway.”
He said he’s pleased that NB Liquor selected FiveFive Queen for the tender.
“From the beginning, we wanted to establish a property that you’d be proud to say you live there,” he said. “So [the shop is] going to add more value to the hotel and it kind of fits into that brand that we always wanted FiveFive to be.”
FiveFive Queen is an eight-story development currently under construction that will feature a boutique hotel, condominiums for purchase, apartments for rent, a restaurant, and the Gahan House Pub and Brewery on the main floor.
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