2025-2030 NSLC Strategic Plan

Embarking on a new strategic plan is an exciting time for any organization. But what makes this one extra special for the NSLC is that when we hit the final year of this plan, we will also be marking an incredible milestone – 100 years of business for the NSLC.

For the past 95 years, our success has been grounded in our ability to adapt and evolve, ensuring we remain relevant to our shoppers. So, it should come as no surprise that as we look to the next five years, and our vision to be a shopper-centric retailer, employer of choice, responsible steward, and industry partner investing in the future of Nova Scotia, we will continue to evolve and adapt, guided by the strategic priorities laid out in this plan.

Ultimately, this strategic plan is a people-first plan. It’s a plan for our shoppers. It’s a plan for our communities. But, most of all, it’s a plan for our team, because the NSLC team is at the heart of everything we do. Their dedication to providing exceptional, responsible service, and their passion for caring for the communities where we live and work, is what drives our success.

Over the next five years, we will build on the work we’ve started in inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). We have a strong foundation, but we will continue to focus on growing our culture of belonging, ensuring we create welcoming, safe, inclusive spaces for our team members and shoppers. The NSLC is a great place to work today, but five years from now, we want it to be even better.

Responsibility will always be at our core, but through this plan, we will further evolve to manage our environmental impact and embed sustainable priorities into our business practices.

Our focus on keeping the products we sell out of the hands of minors and those who are impaired is unwavering, and we will continue our efforts to impact the illicit cannabis market in Nova Scotia.

We know we can’t do any of this alone. Our partnerships with our supplier partners, Agency partners, licensees, and community partners will be key to helping us achieve the goals laid out in this plan. And we will continue to strengthen our partnerships with local suppliers to ensure we meet our shoppers’ needs, while supporting local industry growth.

We will also continue to invest in our retail network and make improvements to our stores, as well as modernize our technology systems, ensuring we’re better positioned into the future. The technology that got us to where we are today won’t carry us through the years to come. We will tackle these necessary enhancements through a careful lens of cybersecurity and accessibility, and with a focus on our shoppers’ needs.

As a Crown Corporation with 100% of our profits returned to our Shareholder, the Government of Nova Scotia, we will continue to deliver consistent financial returns, while balancing legislative responsibilities. And we will do so with pride.

We are proud of the role the NSLC has played in our province as we near a century of providing safe and legal access to beverage alcohol and cannabis across Nova Scotia. As a responsible retailer and employer, and through our partnerships and strong community investment, we stand in our commitment to make Nova Scotia a better place to live and work.

- Tara Miller, Board Chair

- Greg Hughes, President & CEO

The NSLC’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan has been developed thanks to the input of NSLC team members, our shoppers, our Executive Team and Board of Directors, and considering the diverse perspectives of our Shareholder and other key NSLC stakeholders.

Over the past two years, we’ve taken the time to explore what matters most to our shoppers, and better understand the key issues they face today, along with how those issues and challenges may change in the coming years.

Through extensive research, we gained insights into the changing shopping behaviours of Nova Scotians, the evolving retail landscape, and importantly, the experience shoppers are looking for when they visit the NSLC – both within our physical stores and online.

Our Executive Team participated in planning sessions to understand how our shoppers’ evolving needs and our changing external environment will impact our business, both now and into the future.

Our ongoing and regular engagement with local industry and our strong relationships with our suppliers, licensees, Agency stores, and other community partners, have ensured their perspectives were also considered in the development of this plan.

Finally, we surveyed our own team members to find out what inspires them, what makes them feel proud about working at the NSLC, especially as we approach 100 years of business, and our opportunities to improve to ensure we achieve our vision of being an employer of choice.

The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan will be integrated into the NSLC’s annual business planning process to allow us to track and measure our progress over the next five years.

Ultimately, we want our NSLC team members to see themselves in this plan. After all, our success in achieving the goals and completing the actions outlined within lies in our ability to come together as a team, to collaborate, and to deliver on our vision for the future of the NSLC.

Being a shopper-centric retailer means that we understand our shoppers’ needs and what is relevant to them in today’s everchanging world. It means that we are focused on creating shopping experiences that are welcoming, that we connect with our shoppers, and that we help them find the products they want.

Beverage alcohol consumption patterns are changing. The volume of beverage alcohol purchased has gradually declined over the past few years, and this is a trend we expect to continue. And with that comes changes in our shoppers’ needs and behaviours.

Today’s 19 to 24-year-old Nova Scotians consume less beverage alcohol than those in this age group have in the past. As a generation, this group is more wellness-focused and some choose to abstain from alcohol consumption altogether, drink non- or low-alcohol beverages, or prefer cannabis as an alternative. As the retailer and regulator of these products, the NSLC needs to understand, anticipate, and adapt to the needs of these shoppers.

Nova Scotia’s population is also aging, which means those who have been shopping at the NSLC for years may not engage with us in the ways they once did, or they may need additional supports to access the products we offer. We want to be there for all our shoppers, so we will focus on creating accessible spaces and providing safe and reliable access to the products we offer.

While we’ve seen a gradual decline in beverage alcohol sales volumes, the opposite is true for cannabis. Our shoppers tell us they appreciate the trust, service, and safety our shopping experience provides them.