A High Court decision this week means that only supermarkets and bottle stores can sell alcohol.
Supermarkets have been allowed to sell beer and wine since 2000. In 2001, some small convenience stores applied to the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) for permission to sell alcohol also. At first, just one or two stores applied, but within a few years, more than 50 small stores have had a liquor licence to sell beer and wine. However, the LLA then said it would not renew licences.
Many convenience stores in the cities are open all night. While pubs and bars have to close late at night, convenience stores have been able to sell liquor all night.
When a Christchurch Night ‘n Day could not renew its liquor licence, it took this case to the High Court. The High Court looked at the 1999 law and found that only bottle stores and big supermarkets of more than 1,000 sq m had the right to sell alcohol. The law did not allow small stores like corner dairies to sell alcohol. The High Court decided that a convenience store is more like a dairy than a supermarket because it does not sell basic household food.
Now all other convenience stores in New Zealand will not be able to sell alcohol.
Questions
1. Is it a good idea to sell beer and wine in supermarkets?
2. Rural convenience store owners say they should be allowed to sell alcohol because there are no supermarkets in small towns. Do you agree?
3. Do city convenience stores sell basic household food?