New Hampshire Liquor Commission

What New Hampshire Liquor Commission does

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is a state government agency, established in 1934, that operates as New Hampshire's designated control state authority for the distribution and retail sale of spirits and wines. It runs 65 NH Liquor & Wine Outlet retail stores throughout New Hampshire — including two high-traffic locations on I-95 in Hampton — and serves over 12 million customer visits annually. In parallel, it regulates thousands of on-premise licensees (restaurants, bars, hotels), off-premise licensees (retail stores), brokers, and suppliers, enforcing compliance with state liquor laws through its Division of Enforcement & Licensing.

The NHLC's core offering is state-owned retail of spirits and wines, supported by a digital infrastructure built on the NextGen solution — a Microsoft Dynamics 365-based ERP that handles order management, inventory, and licensee operations. Licensees are served through a dedicated B2B/Business Portal for transactions, forms, and account management, and the organization maintains a public-facing web presence as well as organic social channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Technology differentiation is centered on integration and interoperability of the Dynamics 365 platform rather than proprietary innovation.

The commission's revenue model combines direct retail margin on spirits and wine sales with licensing and regulatory fees, and it operates as a non-dividend-paying instrument of the State of New Hampshire — net profits (over $4 billion cumulative since 1934) are remitted to fund general state services. Pricing is set administratively and is not publicly disclosed; the go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through state-owned stores, supplemented by a regulated wholesale channel to licensed resellers. According to the commission, New Hampshire has been named the nation's top control state and NH Liquor & Wine Outlets are regularly ranked among the country's top ten retailers.

Name

New Hampshire Liquor Commission

Legal name

New Hampshire Liquor Commission

Website

https://gov.liquorandwineoutlets.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is a state government agency, founded in 1934, that operates as New Hampshire's control state authority, running 65 state-owned liquor and wine retail outlets serving over 12 million customers annually while regulating thousands of on-premise and off-premise licensees, brokers, and suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Liquor Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Liquor Stores (General Off-Premise) (CRANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB), Liquor Stores (Off-Premise Spirits Retail) (CRANABAA), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

Keywords

• State liquor retail
• Alcohol regulation
• Control state operations
• Licensee management
• Spirits and wine distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Liquor and Wine Sales: The NHLC generates revenue through direct retail sales of spirits, wines, and alcoholic beverages at 65 state-owned NH Liquor & Wine Outlet locations throughout New Hampshire. The commission has raised over $4 billion in net profits to support critical state services since the first outlet opened in 1934.
2. Licensing and Regulatory Fees: The commission regulates the sale of alcohol in New Hampshire, working with thousands of on and off-premise licensees, brokers, suppliers, and business partners. Revenue is generated through licensing activities and regulatory oversight.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is a state government agency that operates 65 NH Liquor & Wine Outlet retail stores across New Hampshire, selling spirits, wines, and related alcoholic beverages directly to consumers. In addition to retail operations, the Commission regulates the legal sale of alcohol statewide, licensing and overseeing thousands of on-premise and off-premise licensees, brokers, suppliers, and business partners via a B2B Portal and a Division of Enforcement & Licensing. More than 12 million customers are served annually, and over $4 billion in net profits has been raised to support state services since 1934.

Product overview

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) operates as a state government agency managing alcohol regulation and retail operations. The core offering consists of 65 NH Liquor & Wine Outlets retail stores serving over 12 million customers annually, supplemented by digital platforms including the NextGen Solution (Microsoft Dynamics 365-based business system), B2B Portal, and Business Portal for licensee services. The Division of Enforcement & Licensing provides regulatory oversight. NHLC has been named the nation's top control state and ranks among the top ten retailers in the country.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NH Liquor & Wine Outlets State-owned retail stores selling spirits, wines, and related alcoholic beverages directly to consumers throughout New Hampshire. NHLC operates 65 retail locations serving over 12 million customers annually.
• B2B Portal / Business Portal Online business-to-business portal providing licensees (on-premise and off-premise establishments, brokers, suppliers) with access to NHLC services, forms, and account management capabilities for transactions and compliance.
• Division of Enforcement & Licensing NHLC division responsible for ensuring the responsible and legal sale of alcoholic beverages statewide, conducting compliance checks, investigations, and education programs for licensees and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 million+ customers served annually across 65 retail locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Developer/Operator for Hampton I-95 Service AreasmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026NHLC is seeking a developer/operator through an RFQ/RFP process to construct and operate new service areas in place of existing I-95 northbound and I-95 southbound liquor and wine outlets in Hampton, New Hampshire. This is a ground lease contract for redevelopment of state-owned properties into full-service travel plazas.
• Illumina Technology Solutions LLCcoreTechnology or Integration · 29 May 2024Awarded contract for technical consulting services for NextGen solution, a Microsoft Dynamics 365-based system. Provides system support, maintenance, and potential software system feature enhancements for the primary business system used daily in NHLC operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Republic National Distributing Company: Second-largest US beverage alcohol distributor with comparable scope to NHLC's wholesale role. Operates with similar supplier agreements, sales-force-driven licensee service, and regulatory compliance demands.
• Total Wine & More: Largest private multi-state wine, spirits, and beer retailer in the US. Closest private-sector comparables for NHLC's retail operations, product breadth, and supplier relationships, though operates outside the control-state regulatory framework.
• Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits: Largest US wine and spirits wholesaler/distributor. Comparable to NHLC's wholesale function serving retail and on-premise licensees, with similar scale, supplier relationships, and logistics requirements.

Direct peers

• Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board: Direct state-level control state agency operating Fine Wine & Good Spirits retail stores and wholesale spirits distribution across Pennsylvania. Mirrors NHLC's combined retail + wholesale monopoly model, with comparable regulatory scope and licensees base.
• Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: Washington state agency overseeing liquor licensing, enforcement, and spirits distribution. Operates a similarly structured monopoly model with state-licensed retailers as off-premise channels.
• Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission: Oregon's state agency operates agency liquor stores and wholesale spirits distribution, with a similar combined regulatory and retail monopoly model. Comparable scale and direct-to-licensee distribution operations.
• Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority: Virginia ABC operates state-owned retail stores and wholesale spirits distribution for Virginia. Most direct functional peer to NHLC in terms of combined retail/wholesale operations and enforcement/licensing authority over licensees.
• Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services: Utah's state liquor agency operates state stores and spirits wholesale, closely comparable to NHLC's operation of own-retail + wholesale distribution, though with stricter regulatory overlay.

Emerging players

• Breakthru Beverage Group: Major US spirits, wine, and beer distributor with comparable wholesale service profile to NHLC's licensee-serving distribution arm. Relevant for benchmarking scale, technology, and supplier relationships.
• ABC Fine Wine & Spirits: Florida's largest privately-owned wine and spirits retailer. Closest private-sector omnichannel liquor store comparable to NHLC's retail footprint in terms of assortment, customer experience, and supplier relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nhliquorwine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nhliquorandwine
• Facebookfacebook.com/nhliquorwine
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhliquorwine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nh-state-liquor-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 New Hampshire Liquor Commission