A third liquor store may open in Oamaru in the near future, after the Waitaki District Council received an off-licence application from a Mosgiel-based company.
A public noticed that appeared in the Oamaru Mail on May 4 read that Triveni Puri Mosgiel Ltd had applied to the council’s district licensing committee for an off-licence for 51 Humber St, to be known as Thirsty Liquor Oamaru.
According to the New Zealand Companies Office register, the directors of Triveni Puri are Kavita and Sanjeev Nauhria, both of Dunedin.
It owned Crofter’s Pub and Liquor Centre in Mosgiel and Thirsty Liquor Concord in Dunedin.
The company applied to sell alcohol out of the store from Monday to Sunday between 9am and 10pm.
However, its head office was unaware that the application had been submitted.
Thirsty Liquor national operations manager Shane Whitley said the company "do not get involved" in applying for or searching for potential off-licence sites.
"We have not been informed by any of our members that they have applied for a licence down there."
Mr Nauhira did not respond to a request for comment from the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
If the application was approved, it would join Super Liquor and Oasthouse Liquorland, owned by the Oamaru Licensing Trust, as the town’s third liquor store.
There was also a small bottle store at the Northstar Hotel, which was also owned by the trust. Oamaru Licensing Trust chairman Ali Brosnan said the town was well-served for liquor stores.
"I think the market is pretty saturated in Oamaru."
Sgt Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, declined to comment when asked about the application, but said police and Public Health South were notified of off and on-licence applications and looked at each on a "case-by-case basis".
