A city shop where staff were caught selling booze to underage teenagers has had its license suspended for a month.
Front Page News on the corner of the old cinema building
Front Page News, in Jordan Well, city centre, was the subject of a licensing review meeting after staff failed two test purchases.
At the meeting, held yesterday, Howard Richards, speaking on behalf of owner Narinder Kullar, said staff illegally sold a bottle of wine to a 16-year-old girl because she “was well built and looked quite grown up” adding teenagers usually attempted to buy cans.
But members of the council’s licensing committee decided to suspend Mr Kullar’s licence for a month.
Coventry Trading Standards sent in test purchasers to shops in the city centre after problems of anti-social behaviour in the area.
Alan Harwood, principal trading standards officer, said despite signs saying the shop would challenge anyone who appeared to be under 25, the shop twice sold alcohol to underage teenagers.
In May a bottle of wine was sold to a 16-year-old girl by a store assistant who was covering for a colleague while they were on a break.
Trading standards officers spoke to Mr Kullar about avoiding underage sales of alcohol and he put an action plan into place to ensure staff were trained.
But four months later another bottle of wine was sold to a 16-year-old girl by a member of staff who had been employed at the shop for a week.
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Sounds like 'entrapment' to me, using a girl who looks much older than she really is?
Incidentally, that was my local newsagent for seven years when I lived in Gosford Street. It was much smaller then occupying only the former entrance to the Colloseum dance hall and also wasn't allowed to serve alcohol.
