Police want to suspend liquor licenses for New World supermarkets in South Island. They say the stores broke rules about online alcohol advertising. A two-day hearing started on Monday in Christchurch District Court.
Inspector Ian Paulin, who prevents alcohol harm, asked the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority to suspend the licenses for 35 New World supermarkets. Most of these stores are in the South Island.
The law says discounts over 25 percent can only be shown in the store, not online. Paulin claims the supermarkets violated this by advertising DB Export Beer with a 26.1 percent discount.
This issue is not just about one store. Jeremy Rooney, the owner of Ashburton New World, was questioned in court. He was asked why he didn’t know the advertisement was illegal. Rooney replied, “There are 18,000 products in my store; it’s impossible to know the price of all of them.”
He explained that the supermarkets get sales plans about four weeks before they start, but these plans do not show the discount percentage, only the cost and sale prices. The hearing will continue.
