Games shop blocked from selling boozy gifts

Tuesday 09 April 2019

A local games and music shop has been blocked from selling gifts containing alcohol, after Jurats expressed concerns that its young clientele would be too exposed to booze.

Seedee Jons Limited, which sells CDs, vinyls, DVDs, games and home décor, had sought a Sixth Category Licence to sell gift packs including miniature and 50cl bottles of alcohol.

But, in what the Licensing Assembly acknowledged was a “change of policy”, they rejected the application on the basis that, while other small shops had been given such licences in the past, they could no longer justify doing so given the level of alcohol “abuse” in Jersey.

Seedee Jons Director Christian Le Cornu presented the application to the Assembly – a panel of jurats in charge of deciding which premises should be allowed to sell alcohol in Jersey - and explained that the packs would be most popular around Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.

Pictured: Seedee Jons' application was heard by the Licensing Assembly in the Royal Court.

He added, however, that there could be other times in the year when the packs would be available - something that caused concern to the Licensing Assembly.

Chaired by the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, with Jurats Colette Crill, Anthony Olsen, Charles Blampied, Kim Averty and Sally Sparrow sitting in, the Assembly rejected the application on 21 March and has now published the reasons behind its decision.

They explained that while the application was first described as an opportunity to sell gift packs, “it later became apparent that it would be alcohol of all kinds being sold, perhaps in full bottles".

While the application was approved unanimously by the Parish Assembly, and the Parish supported the sale of gift packs, the Assembly eventually concluded it was not in “the interests of the public in general” to grant the licence.

Pictured: The Licensing Assembly said it would be hard to justify granting licences to small shops, given the extent of alcohol abuse locally.

Their decision, they wrote, marked what they described as “a change of policy”. They explained that while similar licences had been granted to small shops in the past, it would be difficult to justify granting such licences now, amid "the growing awareness of the extent of the abuse of alcohol in the island".

The 2018 Jersey Opinion and Lifestyle Survey (JOLS) recently revealed that almost one in five (19%) Jersey adults admitted drinking in excess of 14 units on a typical week. 

The Assembly said that if the application was granted, “a substantial clientele of younger people would be exposed to alcohol sales which might be considered undesirable".

They felt that, given the nature of Seedee Jons’ business, it would be difficult to impose any conditions attached to the licence. 

While they rejected the application, the Assembly said they were open to reconsider it in the future, provided that the shop gives "more clarity" about what would be sold and how it relates to the existing business.