Liquor commission expands, relocates

Friday, January 4, 2013

Courteesy photo


Rendering of the new New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet at Bedford Grove Plaza, at the intersection of routes 101 and 114, across from the Bedford Public Safety Complex. Construction will begin in late January.

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CONCORD – The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is continuing to upgrade its New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets to enhance’ shopping experience and expand selection. The commission announced it will relocate its New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets in Milford and Bedford, and open a new store in Manchester on South Elm Street.

Early this year, the commission will move its Bedford outlet from Colby Court in the Bedford Grove Plaza to just west of the intersection of routes 101 and 114, across from the Bedford Safety Complex. The store will be prominently visible, positioned at the main entrance to the Bedford Hills commercial mixed-use development. Tenants include the Copper Door Restaurant and Bellwether Community Credit Union. Plans call for a newly constructed 13,000-plus square foot standalone building.

The New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet in Milford will also be relocated, approximately two miles from its location in the Granite Town Plaza to the Market Basket Plaza on Route 101. The upgraded outlet, behind the Division of Motor Vehicles, will occupy a 7,400 square foot formerly the home of Blockbuster. Work will begin on the new store in late January.

In addition, the commission will lease a new 12,000-square-foot, freestanding building as a New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet on South Elm Street in Manchester. Located just north of and on the same side of the street as Chalifour’s Flowers, the project is part of Phase II of River’s Edge. The site will have entrances at the front and rear of the main plaza. Parking will also be available.

Part of the commission’s goal is to upgrade and enhance stores statewide. The New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets in Bedford and Manchester will resemble the flagship store on Coliseum Avenue in Nashua, while the Milford site will be similar to other recently remodeled stores. All three locations’ interiors will incorporate an open-concept design with state-of-the-art amenities.

The stores’ expanded floor space will allow for a greater selection. Spacious aisles and curved free-standing shelving will enhance product presentation and visibility. Each outlet will be illuminated with energy-saving, high-efficiency light fixtures. Exterior signs will feature LED “dark sky compliant” components and display the familiar New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet logo.

“The Commission is responding to consumer shopping habits and retail trends with our ongoing retail store upgrade and relocation plans,” New Hampshire Liquor Commission Chairman Joseph W. Mollica said.

Mollica said retail sales at New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for fiscal year 2013, starting July 1, 2012 are $233 million, up $19 million, an increase of 9.21 percent over the previous fiscal year. Mollica credits the success to improvements made to several stores across the state including Nashua, Portsmouth, North Hampton, Manchester, Lebanon, Merrimack, Peterborough and Concord and the new store at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. More than $2.4 billion in net profits has been raised since the first store opened in 1934. The commission expects to net an additional $1 billion for the state in the next eight years.

For more information or locations, visit the website, www.LiquorandWine
Outlets.com.