Poppleston Allen gain 24-hour alcohol premises licence for bespoke Australian wine retailer and delivery business
Published: 07 March 2022
Suraj Desor, Solicitor at leading licensing firm Poppleston Allen has successfully gained a 24-hour alcohol premises licence for a bespoke Australian wine retailer and delivery business at its warehouse unit in Derby.
Following grant of the application Tom Walenkamp Director & CEO Good Pair Days Ltd wrote to Suraj to say:
“Poppleston Allen and in particular Suraj did an outstanding job for us. They handled our licence application efficiently and thoroughly and most importantly got the outcome we wanted. But what impressed me the most and why I would recommend them to anyone, is that Suraj showed initiative and a real can-do attitude, going above and beyond to make sure we overcame any hurdles and remained on track. I’m very happy with their service and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them”
Good Pair Days Ltd is an established online wine delivery business originating from Australia. Based on customer information provided, as to their tastes and preferences for types of wine, the business’s ‘pairing’ system matches wines tailored to customers specific tastes and arranges to send these out to the customer. As a means of developing the business overseas they are seeking to operate the business in the UK and start supplying to customers based here.
The licensing legal problem
The client came to Poppleston Allen for licencing advice in obtaining a premises licence at its first warehouse unit in the country, located in Derby Commercial Park, where wine would be packaged by staff for delivery by couriers across the country. By virtue of Section 190 of the Licensing Act 2003 the sale of alcohol is deemed to take place when the order is packaged for delivery and as a result an application was made for a 24-hour licence to enable the packaging of orders to take place at any time.
The legal value we added:
Suraj advised the business on successfully navigating through the licencing regime for England and Wales, ranging from the process, timeline and costs to the relevant licensing applications and documents required.
Given the businesses timelines and to take advantage of the growth in the home delivery sector, it was important for the business to have the premises licence in place as soon as possible.
As part of the application process, Suraj undertook pre-application consultation with the Licensing Authority and worked closely with members of the business in Australia and the UK to craft appropriate conditions within the operating schedule, tailored to the business model, to ensure that the four licensing objectives would be promoted if the application and licence was granted.
Notwithstanding this, concerns were raised during the 28-day consultation period as to deliveries of alcohol and age verification measures in place via a representation (objection) against the application a representation. However, through effective dialogue, discussions, and negotiations, concerns were addressed through additional information and additional conditions offered within the application (which importantly were operational viable for the business to implement). This resulted in withdrawal of the objection within the consultation period and ultimately facilitating grant of the application and premises licence without delay and without the need for a hearing.
Suraj said “It has been a pleasure working with the Good Pair Days team and I am pleased we were able to navigate the licensing requirements to successfully obtain a premises licence for client swiftly, in line with the business’s timelines so they can begin their operations in the UK. I look forward to being a customer and using the service, which is seems a fantastic bespoke operation, and supporting Tom and his team, and I wish the business all the best.”