The massive new warehouse for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission is taking shape day by day.
The structure, prominent and conspicuous at the corner of Veness Road and Anthony Henday Drive in the Campbell Business Park, is on track for completion in spring 2018, said Angelle Sasseville, AGLC communications manager.
“The construction is proceeding well; of course it’s weather-dependent as with any construction site,” she said. “Due to some wet weather over the summer, I would guess it’s slightly behind.”
The building will serve as the province’s main distribution centre for spirits, wine and imported beer.
Construction on the $91.5 million project, funded through Alberta Infrastructure, began in January. The province awarded the building contract to Edmonton-based construction firm Dawson Wallace Construction Ltd. The total cost including land acquisition and site preparation is $153 million.
Sasseville said the building would be 546,000 square feet, with 473,000 square feet dedicated to warehouse space. It will replace the main 430,000-square-foot warehouse at 50 Corriveau Ave. in addition to other space AGLC rents to meet its needs.
“This one isn’t able to hold all the products; there are some smaller warehouses,” she said. “The plan is it will all be consolidated into this distribution centre.”
Ultimately, the province will see some cost efficiencies, estimated at around $5 million per year.
The new warehouse will house the fast-moving products that are in high-demand in Alberta. The existing warehouse will be used for “some of the slower-moving product. ” There are more than 23,000 different types of alcohol for sale in the province.
While retail sales of alcohol are privatized in Alberta, all the alcohol sold in liquor stores comes through AGLC’s warehouses, store owners purchase their stock wholesale from AGLC. The typical beer-buyer isn’t likely to see much of a change once the new warehouse is finished.
“They likely wouldn’t see a difference, in terms of what consumers see,” Sasseville said. “It’s providing efficiency behind the scenes.”
AGLC spokesperson Michelle Hynes-Dawson told the Gazette in July that more than 1,000 jobs related to commission’s headquarters and warehouse operations will stay in the city long-term.
The AGLC bought the 22-hectare parcel of land in 2014. Landscapers broke ground soon after to complete site grading, underground services and storm-water management. A request for construction proposals was issued publicly in the fall of 2015.
