The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (“NHLC”) is issuing a Request for Applications (“RFA”), through which it will identify one eligible agency liquor store sales agent in Errol, New Hampshire, that will also serve the surrounding communities of Wentworths Location, Dixville, Millsfield, Dummer, and Cambridge, New Hampshire.
An agency liquor store is a liquor store that is licensed by the NHLC for the purpose of selling packaged liquor for off-premises consumption. The Sales Agent is the individual, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company that the NHLC licenses to operate an agency liquor store.
The Sales Agent must operate the agency liquor store as an adjunct component to a business that holds a combination license under RSA 178:18-i.e. a license that authorizes the sale of fortified wine, table wine, beverages, and specialty beverages for consumption off of the premises. In addition to the combination license, the adjunct business must demonstrate operational financial stability based solely on its non-alcohol sales.
The RFA will initiate a numerically-scored competitive process through which each applicant must submit a detailed business plan of operations and other information that demonstrates that it satisfies the requirements set forth in RSA 177 and Liq 508, will provide the greatest revenue to the state, and will provide the best service to the public based on set criteria. The NHLC will also consider the suitability of the applicant’s location, the applicant’s financial stability and capability, its business experience as well as that of its management, and other related considerations.
The RFA can be obtained by contacting Janet Donnelly via email only at janet.donnelly@liquor.nh.gov, or by downloading the RFA here.
Interested applicants must submit completed applications to the NHLC no later than 2:00 PM on Friday, August 18, 2023. The RFA sets forth the submittal, evaluation, and scoring processes in detail. Applicants should review the RFA for additional information.
The NHLC will permit the highest-scored RFA applicant to initiate the agency store licensure process set forth in the NHLC’s Liq 700 rules, and, upon successful completion of that process, operate an agency liquor store in Errol, New Hampshire.
RFA Inquiry Questions and Responses
The NHLC has received two proposals to this RFA.
The NHLC has evaluated the applications received and selected Percy Tackle, Inc. d/b/a L.L. Cote as the agency store sales agent for Errol, NH.