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The indefinite closure of a suburban Tauranga tavern and liquor store stripped of liquor licences has raised concerns among locals.
Welcome Bay Sports Bar and Grill and the attached bottle store lost their licences because of Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act breaches.
Independent tribunal, the Alcohol Regulatoryand Licensing Authority, cancelled the premises’ licences on March 18, following applications from the Tauranga City Council and police.
The businesses on Welcome Bay Rd had the same licensee.
Council alcohol licensing inspectors applied to suspend the bottle store’s licence after liquor was sold to an underage person in November. At the time, it was branded Super Liquor.
The council said it was the store’s second such breach of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act after a previous offence in November 2023.
Police had earlier applied to suspend the licences in September after breaches involving not having a properly certified duty manager on site when alcohol was sold.
The Welcome Bay Sports Bar and Grill and the Super Liquor bottle store in September last year. Photo / Google
Police then applied for the licences to be suspended or cancelled after similar breaches in November, and the bottle store failing a controlled-purchase operation by selling alcohol to a minor.
The authority’s decision said the licensee conceded the applications were “justified”.
In a statement, council alcohol licensing team leader Sam Kemp said this should be a “timely reminder” to other licensees about what could happen if they did not follow the rules.
“The failure to adhere to some basic procedures and work practices have had serious results for this licensee.”
He said the decision was ultimately the authority’s but “the responsibility and due diligence to operate compliantly lies squarely with the operators of businesses that sell and supply alcohol”.
Kemp said inquiries were made on whether the tavern and bottle store would reopen under new ownership. While this was a possibility, both premises “remain closed for the foreseeable future”.
The bottle store was operating as a Super Liquor franchise at the time of the offending.
A Super Liquor spokesman said the franchise agreement ended in November.
The store has since been rebranded with Black Bull Liquor signage.
A council spokesman said the premises had changed ownership but was not trading.
The new owner would need to apply to the council for a new liquor licence and go through the approval process, which could take several weeks.
The Bay of Plenty Times spoke to people working and shopping in the retail area near the tavern and bottle store on Tuesday.
Most agreed there was likely to be a flow-on impact from the closure on businesses, due to less foot traffic, especially fast-food stores, or people deciding to go elsewhere.
The Bakery Cafe, the Orchard Thieves and Welcome Bay Pharmacy are some of the Welcome Bay Shopping Centre businesses. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Caltex Welcome Bay manager Kiran Shrestha said since the two premises closed the station’s turnover has fallen significantly, with bar patrons likely heading to Maungatapu to fill up and shop.
Shrestha said cigarette sales were down about $5000 a week, fuel sales had reduced by about $2000 to $3000 a week, and food sales were also impacted.
“We’ve faced a lot of hardship in the past year, and our sales dropped on average 60% during the nine-and-a-half months it took to build the new Welcome Bay Rd roundabout.
He said other retailers in the Welcome Bay Shopping Centre had also been impacted by the construction.
The Welcome Bay Shopping Centre. Photo / Sandra Conchie
“The past couple of months, we were slowly starting to catch up on lost sales, and now this happens.”
He said the closure was going to have a big impact on retailers and the community.
Ivan Yip, owner of The Bakery Cafe for 16 years, said he was “bound to lose a few customers” but he was not too worried as he had “very loyal customers” and operated a daytime business.
He said he believed takeaway shops might see more impact, especially those open late and serving bar patrons.
Shoppers were also concerned about other businesses losing customers.
Welcome Bay resident Brian Leitch said the closure of the two premises would “definitely” have a ripple effect on the shopping area and people’s spending decisions.
“What we really need in Welcome Bay is a new shopping complex and having a supermarket, as well as a fresh fruit and vege store, would be fantastic, and long overdue.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
