[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR: There appears to be little concern among retailers over the announcement that grocery stores, convenience stores and Chinese medicine stores in Kuala Lumpur will lose the right to sell hard liquor as of October 1 of next year.
“I’m sure it will affect the business, but the sale of hard liquor represents only about 5% of our monthly sales,” said a worker at Foh Hin Pharmacy and Mini Mart in Kuchai Lama.
“We sell between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan a month, but overall, sales have fallen 30% since the MCO (motion control order) started in March.”
He said his store might have to sell off its stock at bargain prices with the application of the ban.
The Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) announced its 2021 liquor license guidelines on Monday. Beer, as well as pure and mixed liquor products in traditional medicine, will be exempted from the ban.
Beer can be sold at these locations from 7 am to 9 pm, but it must be placed separately from other beverages.
The owner of a Chinese drug store in Taman Desa did not seem upset by the announcement.
“It really won’t make a difference to me,” he said. “People no longer buy in our stores. Today, they prefer to buy their drinks in specialty liquor and wine stores or supermarkets.
“Anyway, we hardly buy new shares.”
He said migrant workers used to be regulars, but most now bought cheap and easy to find fake and smuggled drinks.
A worker at a sundries store a few doors away said the ban would have little effect on his employer’s bottom line.
“It’s hard to sell even one bottle a month these days,” he said. “Hard liquor sales weren’t good even before MCO. Business has dropped 40% or 50% since then. “
Albert Chooi, secretary of two trade groups, said the ban would affect the nearly 300 grocery stores, grocery stores and Chinese medicine stores that currently sell hard liquor in Kuala Lumpur.
Noting that relaxed conditions on liquor sales are the norm in almost all capital cities around the world, Chooi said the ruling would result in lower tax revenue for Kuala Lumpur.
Chooi, who is the secretary of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese Wine and Spirits Merchants Association and the Federation of Malaya Associated Liquor Merchants Association, was not happy that the affected business groups and companies were not consulted earlier the ruling was announced.
“It’s ridiculous. What is the purpose of this ban? These retailers have been selling smoothly all this time, and now all of a sudden DBKL has issued this ruling. These people will find it harder to earn a living.
