Planning for off licence

mickdw

Anyone up to speed on off-licences located in supermarkets. From my reading of the intoxicating liquor act, you must have it in a seperate area with its own till etc if its self service (as in people can walk around and pick their own items) but you can have it as part of the supermarket if the alcohol products are located behind a counter area only accesable to staff, i.e. people have to ask for the product. Am I correct in this?

muffler

Im not too well up on the regs in relation to this but yes that's the way I have seen the supermarkets operating here.

Edit: Come to think of it the local Tesco store don't have a separate till and its the same in NI.



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Mellor

Any off licence area as part of a main shop rarely has its own till. It sometimes has its own shutters to close it off before/after serving hours, if the supermarket is open longer.

The provisions you mentioned do exist. Section 9 of the 2008 Act. It requires structural separation and sale in this area. Or in smaller venues, alcohol (except wine) to be kept in an staff only area. However, these provisions, ie section 9 never came into enforcement, they were held back and a more lenient Code of Practice was rolled out. The code requires the alcohol to be in its own area, preferably at the back of the shop, through which other customers aren't forced to pass to get around the shop.
The code is voluntary, but if people are found to be not sticking to it, section 9 will come into force for every one.

Here is the actual code and some guidelines to help;
Code of Practice
Explanatory Guidlines

rayjdav

Not sure if this is what you are also asking but, SI 364 of 2005 changed the regulation in relation to the sale of wine for consumption off premises to certain units designated as shop.
It is exempted development through this amendment.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2005/en/si/0364.html