The first round of SLGA liquor permit bidding is to come to an end Wednesday afternoon.
By 2 p.m., it should be known who won the permits that hit the auction block on Feb. 6.
In October, the province announced it was closing the remaining 34 SLGA liquor stores by March 31.
As of Tuesday at noon, more than $1.1 million had been bid for the permits in Regina, Saskatoon, Watrous, Prince Albert and Carlyle.
The successful bidders will have to go through the SLGA permitting process and meet the authority’s criteria. They’ll then have to set up and open the store within 18 months.
“Once the auctions associated with SLGA Retail Inc. permits wrap up, auctions will be held for communities that qualify for an additional permit under SLGA’s population matrix, if someone has expressed interest in the permit,” the government wrote in a statement when the auctions were announced.
There are a total of six lots, with the last one closing on Feb. 24.
The second lot will be the next to finish bidding on Thursday.