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'It's all about creating the right shopping experience': new NB Liquor location opens in Fredericton

NB Liquor sales up a bit, but beer sales down

Fredericton's newest liquor store, in a retail area on the southern fringes of the city, had its grand unveiling Monday afternoon.

The new NB Liquor store in the Corbett Centre replaces the aging location in the Uptown Centre, formerly known as the Fredericton Mall.

Brian Harriman, the CEO of NB Liquor, said the decision to move the store was based on the Crown corporation's new branding strategy.

The older location wasn't working with NB Liquor's vision, he said.

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"It's all about creating the right shopping experience and for us to do that it's more economical to tender and start with a new lease as opposed to trying to retrofit something that doesn't necessarily fit the future needs of our business," said Harriman.

People don't live near the new location, but Harriman said that even with the lack of nearby homes, the move makes sense.

"If you look at the enormous amount of traffic that comes into the centre every single day, certainly [there's] more traffic coming in here than we would experience," said Harriman.

Improving customer service

Harriman also cited moving away from arguably Fredericton's busiest intersection, at Prospect and Regent streets, as another bonus.

"[It] does provide them easier access, in particular for our customers in New Maryland," said Harriman.

The move is similar to the moving of a Saint John NB Liquor store from the Parkway Mall in East Saint John to a new building farther out at the East Point Shopping Centre. The new home also has some big box outlets, as does the Corbett Centre.

But Harriman said the goal wasn't to put NB Liquor stores into big box centres but to improve customer service. NB Liquor customers like to shop in such areas, he said.

"Ultimately, we're going to follow where the shoppers are and where our customers want to be."

NB Liquor has signed a 15-year lease with the owners of the building in the Corbett Centre.