Dairies unfairly punished by liquor law changes: retail group

Dairies and convenience stores, particularly in rural areas, are unfairly singled out in proposed liquor law changes announced by the Government on Monday, says the Association of Community Retailers (ACR).

The ACR today said that although the majority of measures proposed by Justice Minister Simon Power were sensible, a proposal to ban dairies and convenience stores from selling small quantities of beer and wine would hurt the income of shop owners unnecessarily.

ACR spokesman Ash Darji said selling small quantities of alcohol was not the main purpose of their business.

People who shopped at dairies and convenience stores were not buying in bulk, and so stores had a range of products, including alcohol, Mr Darji said.

"It's just like having a small fridge at home, we have everything. When you open your fridge I'm sure you don't see two dozen beer up front...or I hope not."

Liquor licenses should be issued on a case by case basis, rather than the blanket ban on dairies and convenience stores that had been proposed, Mr Darji said.

"Punishing small retailers is not going to resolve binge drinking problems."

The Regulatory Impact Statement: Alcohol Law Reform (RIS) prepared by the Government supported this claim, stating there was little evidence smaller outlets contributed to the binge culture.

The RIS recognised restricting dairies and convenience stores from obtaining an off-licence may result in over 100 existing stores becoming "unviable".

Other measures in the alcohol law reform package included a split purchase age -- 18 years for on-licences and 20 for off-licences.

This will be subject to a conscience vote in Parliament.

Local government will also be given more control over where liquor licenses are issued, and alcohol advertising that is likely to be particularly appealing to minors will be limited.

"We welcome the Government's overall proposals, but cannot support banning dairies and convenience stores from selling alcohol altogether," says Dipal Desai from Hinds, South Canterbury.

"People who come to my store will buy a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer, not buy large amounts of alcohol. We do this for convenience, and the proposals if they go through will impact rural retailers."

The ACR will be providing a submission on the Government's proposals.

ACR members come from independent family-run retail outlets, such as dairies and convenience stores, who paid subscriptions, with membership was open to all retailers.