Прибыли муниципальных винных магазинов в Миннесоте упали впервые за 28 лет, несмотря на рост доходов

PRINCETON/MILACA/FORESTON — Municipal liquor stores in Princeton, Milaca and Foreston posted mixed results in 2024, with profits declining in two of the three communities despite continued strong sales. The Minnesota Office of the State Auditor released its 2024 Minnesota Municipal Liquor Store Report on June 25, providing comparative data on city-owned liquor operations across the state. In 2024, 174 Minnesota cities operated 208 municipal liquor stores. Of those, 82 cities operated both on-sale and off-sale establishments, while 92 operated off-sale liquor stores only. Princeton, Milaca and Foreston were among the cities included in the report. Foreston, which operates both on-sale and off-sale liquor stores, generated $561,022 in sales in 2024 — an increase of nearly $40,000 from the previous year. Despite the increase in sales, the operation’s net profit fell to $34,682, ranking 97th in the state. In 2023, Foreston ranked 16th with net profits roughly $30,000 higher. Higher costs of goods and operating expenses appear to have contributed to the decline in profits. Foreston climbed four spots in gross sales rankings to 137th statewide. Milaca’s off-sale municipal liquor store reported sales of $2.9 million in 2024, down nearly $200,000 from the previous year. Despite the decline, the store slipped only one spot in statewide gross sales rankings to 44th. Net profit totaled $160,729, dropping Milaca from 93rd to 106th in statewide rankings. Princeton’s off-sale municipal liquor store remained relatively steady. While sales dipped by about $100,000 to $5.6 million, the store’s net profit remained essentially unchanged at just over $1 million. Princeton ranked 25th statewide in gross sales and sixth in net profit. Municipal liquor store profits can be transferred to a city’s general fund to help reduce property tax levies or pay for authorized city expenses such as police vehicles, fire trucks and other equipment. In 2024, Foreston transferred $53,910 to its general fund, while Milaca transferred $300,000 and Princeton transferred $151,650. The three communities are part of Region 7E, or East Central Minnesota. Off-sale municipal liquor stores in the region averaged $3.8 million in gross sales in 2024, while on-sale stores averaged $1.5 million. Average net profit was $149,000. Statewide trends Statewide, municipal liquor store sales declined for the first time in 28 years, falling by nearly $990,000 to $436.4 million. Despite the decline in sales, combined net profits increased 14% to $36.2 million before transfers. “While municipal liquor stores saw their first statewide sales decline in 28 years, they continued to generate strong returns for Minnesota communities,” State Auditor Julie Blaha said in a news release. Over the past five years, overall net profits increased 0.4%. Net profits at off-sale operations declined 10%, while on-sale establishments saw a 112% increase. Twenty-seven municipal liquor operations reported net losses in 2024, four fewer than the previous year. Municipal liquor stores transferred a combined $26.3 million to city general funds in 2024, a 7.6% decrease from 2023. The full report is available at tinyurl.com/nsfaf2xp.