Liquor Stores NA, a Canada-based publicly traded liquor retailer, has registered sales of $164.5m in the third quarter (Q3) ended 30 September 2012, up 4.7%, against sales of $157.1m for the same period last year.

The increase in sales was mainly due to new store expansion, same-store sales growth in Canada and a $0.5m increase in the Canadian currency equivalent for the US sales due to foreign exchange rate differences.

Net earnings decreased from $11m in the third quarter of 2011 to $6.5m in the latest quarter.

The decrease in net earnings was primarily due to a $4.9m one-time recovery from a lawsuit recorded in 2011.

Liquor Stores interim CEO and board of directors chair Jim Dinning said the company has showed strong performance in Canada and the US.

"Along with our continued strong financial results, our team ‘raised the bar’ when we opened two new large-format stores in Alberta in September. The initial customer response has been overwhelmingly positive," Dinning added.

In the last week of September 2012, the company has opened two service-oriented liquor stores in Alberta with areas exceeding 17,000ft² each and branded them as ‘Wine & Beyond.’

These stores are expected to complement its convenience-focused Liquor Depot/Liquor Barn stores in Alberta.