Société des alcools du Québec

What Société des alcools du Québec does

Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) is a provincial Crown corporation founded in 1921 and wholly owned by the Government of Quebec, holding a statutory monopoly on the retail sale of alcoholic beverages within the province. Headquartered in Montreal at 7500 Tellier Street, SAQ operates a network of approximately 400 physical stores across differentiated formats — SAQ Sélection (premium), SAQ Express (convenience), SAQ Dépôt (value/bulk), SAQ Restauration (HORECA), and Vin en vrac (bulk wine) — alongside the SAQ.COM e-commerce platform supporting home delivery and in-store pickup, and iOS/Android mobile applications. The product assortment spans wine, spirits, champagne, ready-to-drink beverages, cider, and beer, with curated programs for Private Importations and an Espace Québec section formalizing local-producer certifications.

Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced retail alcohol sales, with a wholesale grocer channel growing rapidly (16.8% YoY in Q3 fiscal 2025-2026). The customer base is a horizontal long-tail of adult Quebec consumers, served through the SAQ Inspire loyalty program that awards points, offers personalized promotions, and grants access to exclusive lotteries and member events. Distribution is omnichannel: own retail stores, SAQ.COM, mobile, and wholesale grocers. Government-mandated pricing restraint is a defining commercial feature, with average per-product price adjustments of only $0.04 CAD, and SAQ remits substantial sums to provincial finances (Q3 government revenues alone were $943.1M CAD). For fiscal 2025-2026, net income was $1.389B CAD on Q3 sales of $1.433B CAD (+1.6% YoY) and 70.7M litres of volume (-1.4% YoY), with a 2.2% YoY increase in Q3 net income to $525.2M CAD; store-network volumes declined 3.6% while wholesale volume surged, indicating mix-driven growth rather than consumption expansion.

The corporation is led by a Chairman of the Governance & Ethics Committee (Louise Ménard) and a Vice-President Corporate Affairs and Secretary General (Martine Comtois); a technical-and-professional employee strike from November 6-12, 2025 did not affect store or warehouse operations. SAQ holds WCAG 2.0 Level AA and Quebec SGQRI 008 3.0 accessibility compliance for its website, and operates the SAQ logo as a registered Canadian trademark. The business is structurally a regulated monopoly with no private ownership, no funding rounds, and no M&A history.

Name

Société des alcools du Québec

Legal name

Société des alcools du Québec

Website

https://saq.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

SAQ is a Quebec provincial Crown corporation founded in 1921 that holds a statutory monopoly on retail alcohol sales in the province, operating ~400 stores, the SAQ.COM e-commerce platform, and the SAQ Inspire loyalty program to serve adult Quebec consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alcoholic Beverage Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Superstores & Warehouse Liquor Retail (CRANAAAE)

Keywords

• Alcohol retail monopoly
• Wine and spirits distribution
• Provincial liquor stores
• Liquor e-commerce platform
• Consumer alcohol sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail alcohol sales: SAQ generates revenue through the sale of wines, spirits, beers, ciders, and other alcoholic beverages at retail prices through its network of physical stores and online platform. The company is a Crown corporation of Quebec with monopoly on alcohol retail sales in the province.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SAQ is Quebec's provincial alcohol retail monopoly, selling wines, spirits, beers, ciders, champagnes, and ready-to-drink beverages through a network of approximately 400 physical stores in multiple formats and the SAQ.COM e-commerce platform with home delivery and in-store pickup. The offering includes the SAQ Inspire loyalty program, a private-import program for exclusive products, the Espace Québec section for local producers, and a SAQ Restauration channel serving restaurants and hospitality operators.

Product overview

Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) operates as Quebec's provincial liquor monopoly, offering alcoholic beverages through a multi-channel distribution network. The core offering consists of SAQ.COM, a comprehensive e-commerce platform for online sales, supported by a physical retail network of approximately 400 stores across different formats (SAQ Sélection, SAQ Express, SAQ Dépôt, SAQ Restauration, and Vin en vrac). The product portfolio spans wine (red, white, rosé, sparkling, natural, orange, dessert), spirits (Scotch, whisky, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, cognac, brandy, liqueurs), champagne and sparkling wines, ready-to-drink beverages (coolers and premixed cocktails), ciders, beers, and specialty products. Key programs include SAQ Inspire, a loyalty rewards program offering points, exclusive lotteries, and member-only access to limited products; Private Importations for exclusive hard-to-find selections; and Espace Québec dedicated to Quebec-made alcoholic products. The company also operates a mobile application for iOS and Android devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAQ.COM e-commerce platform SAQ's consumer e-commerce platform that enables Quebec adults to browse the full product catalog, order wines, spirits, beers, ciders, and other alcoholic beverages for home delivery or in-store pickup, and manage accounts including the SAQ Inspire loyalty program.
• SAQ Inspire loyalty program Loyalty and rewards program allowing members to earn points on purchases, receive personalized offers, participate in lotteries for rare products, and access member-only events and exclusive promotions.
• SAQ Sélection stores Premium SAQ store format offering a curated selection of wines, spirits, and specialty products with expert advice from knowledgeable staff.
• SAQ Express stores Smaller convenience-oriented SAQ store format providing a selection of popular products for quick purchases.
• SAQ Dépôt stores Warehouse-style SAQ store format offering discounted prices on selected products for value-oriented buyers.
• SAQ Restauration stores SAQ store format serving the restaurant and hospitality industry with products tailored for commercial buyers in foodservice.
• SAQ Private Importations Exclusive selection of wines, spirits, and other alcoholic beverages imported through SAQ's private-import program, offering unique and hard-to-find products not available through regular SAQ channels.
• Espace Québec Dedicated section featuring alcoholic products originating from Quebec, including wines, ciders, spirits, and maple-based products from local producers, identified by certifications such as Origine Québec, Préparé au Québec, and Embouteillé au Québec.
• SAQ Mobile Application SAQ mobile application for iOS and Android that allows customers to browse products, check store availability, manage their SAQ Inspire account, and make purchases on the go.
• SAQ Wine (Vin) Comprehensive SAQ wine category including red, white, rosé, sparkling, natural, orange, and dessert wines from regions around the world.
• SAQ Spirits (Spiritueux) Broad SAQ spirits category including Scotch, whisky, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, cognac, brandy, and liqueurs.
• SAQ Champagne and Sparkling Wines SAQ assortment of Champagne and sparkling wines intended for celebrations and special occasions.
• SAQ Ready-to-Drink (Prêt-à-boire) SAQ assortment of premixed cocktails and ready-to-drink beverages, including coolers and premixed cocktails.
• SAQ Cider (Cidre) SAQ selection of ciders including sparkling and ice ciders from various producers.
• SAQ Beer (Bière) SAQ assortment of beers sourced from different breweries and regions.
• SAQ Gamme Cellier Premium SAQ sub-brand selection of wines intended for cellaring, featuring higher-quality vintages suitable for aging.
• SAQ Gift Card (Carte-cadeau SAQ) SAQ gift cards available for purchase, allowing recipients to redeem them for beverages of their choice across the SAQ retail network.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Food Banks of Quebec (Banques alimentaires du Québec)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAQ partners with Food Banks of Quebec for annual Easter food bank campaign. The company also received authorization to sell selected U.S. products with proceeds benefiting Food Banks of Quebec.
• Fierté MontréalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSAQ sponsors Fierté Montréal (Montreal Pride) as official gin partner with Romeo's Gin X being the 'Official Gin of Fierté Montréal'. The partnership includes the 'Bistro SAQ' at Esplanade Tranquille during the event.
• Mike Ward (comedian/entrepreneur)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMike Ward launched Ward Vodka with SAQ in 2024, which achieved significant success, leading to a ready-to-drink version 'Ward vodka & cola diète' in 2025 - the first Quebec seltzer with cola flavor at SAQ.
• FouKi (artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFouKi collaborated with Romeo's Gin to create 'Romeo's Gin ZAY' - a tropical flavored gin representing the artist's signature style and flavors.
• Distillerie NoroiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistillerie Noroi produces Ward Vodka which is distributed exclusively through SAQ stores and online platform.
• Moët & ChandonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAQ partners with Moët & Chandon for VIP events at SAQ Inspire program activities.
• Cidrerie MiltonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAQ partners with Cidrerie Milton for SAQ Inspire events including countryside evenings at the cidery.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/saqcellier
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SAQTchinTchin
• Facebookfacebook.com/saq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saq
• Instagraminstagram.com/lasaq

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Société des alcools du Québec