TORONTO — Montreal is on track to become Canada’s first city to allow 24-hour alcohol service in a designated nightlife district, following other cities such as Tokyo and Berlin. CGA by Nielsen IQ recently polled 1,200 Canadians, including Montrealers, to understand people’s attitudes towards the idea.
Highlights include:
- Only two in 10 Canadian consumers are aware that Montreal officials are planning to allow 24-hour consumption of alcohol in venues in the central district. Awareness jumps to three in 10 among those living in Quebec.
- Over half of Montreal residents are very satisfied or satisfied with this new policy idea, whereas one in five are either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied.
- Among those outside Montreal, three in 10 say they would like this policy to be adopted by their province or city, but four in 10 say they would not.
- Three in four Canadians outside Montreal stated they would visit venues just as often, and for the same amount of time as usual, if the policy were implemented where they lived.
Additionally, new research from CGA by NIQ highlights some key differences in beer and spirits sales in Alberta and Quebec bars, restaurants and other licensed premises, as well as the importance to suppliers of province-level knowledge and strategies across Canada.
CGA’s On Premise Measurement (OPM) service shows Canada’s total beer and spirits volumes in the last 12 months are down by 2.2 per cent and 3.3. per cent respectively year-on-year. However, there are growth hotspots in both categories, presenting suppliers, manufacturers and venues with opportunities amid the challenges.
For example, OPM shows Alberta is bucking the national trend with year-on-year beer volume growth of 1.2 per cent. This has been driven by domestic brands, which account for 49 per cent of all beer volumes in Alberta, and which have risen 3.9 per cent. Growth has been even faster in the imported beer segment at 5.9 per cent (the highest of any Canadian province), although imports in Alberta still have the smallest proportion of total sales compared to all other major provinces.
While Alberta is performing best for beer sales, Quebec is ahead in spirits. OPM indicates that volumes are up by 0.4 per cent year-on-year, and it’s the only province with three spirits — vodka, whiskey and tequila — in growth. Vodka (up 2.4 per cent) has been notably strong, and now attracts 20 per cent of all spirits volumes in Quebec.
CGA’s On Premise User Survey (OPUS) compliments the landscape of beer and spirits sales performance across Alberta and Quebec looking into these residents’ respective behaviours in the on premise. Findings include that Alberta residents have a sharper than average focus on value, with 41 per cent buying value-priced beer products in the last six months (more than any other province). Less than a third (31 per cent) say they’re likely to pay extra for better quality beer, the lowest of all other major provinces.
In Quebec, OPUS points to strong interest in cocktails, with 26 per cent of those between 18 and 34 consuming them, compared to a national average of 21 per cent. Young Quebec residents are nine and seven percentage points more likely than the national average to buy vodka and tequila respectively, but gin remains the top choice of cocktail spirit overall, which is a sign of significant differences in tastes between age groups.
While the spirits category has been challenging this year, there are still opportunities for growth across specific channel segments and provinces,” says Mitch Stefani, CGA by NIQ’s Client Solutions director. “Contrasting patterns in Alberta and Quebec show that a one-size-fits-all strategy won’t work in a country as diverse as Canada, and what succeeds in one region may not align with the trends and needs in others. Our OPM and OPUS solutions deliver the foundation of regional-level data that drinks suppliers and brand owners need to understand local nuances and achieve growth across Canada’s on premise.”
