No more queues! small counters give way to liquor supermarkets in Kerala
- Earlier, the Consumerfed chairman had courted controversy by announcing a plan to sell liquor online as a solution to the long queues before liquor outlets.
- The move is also a strategy to overcome the crisis after the recent Supreme Court order to close down liquor shops along National and State Highways.
FollowThe Consumerfed, the apex body of consumer co-operatives in Kerala, is all set to replace its small liquor counters with exclusive alcohol super markets. The premium self-service outlets will put an end to the hassle of standing in serpentine queues to grab a bottle.
The move is also a strategy to overcome the crisis after the recent Supreme Court order to close down liquor shops along National and State Highways. Most of the liquor outlets in the state would take a hit. The Consumerfed will have to shift 27 of its 39 shops in Kerala to comply with the order.
The apex cooperative body, functioning under the state government, is making good use of the crisis to reinvent its most lucrative business by changing the way it functions.
Earlier, the Consumerfed chairman had courted controversy by announcing a plan to sell liquor online as a solution to the long queues before liquor outlets. After the closure of more than 7,00 bars in Kerala two years back, common people were left with no option but to depend on the outlets of the Consumerfed or Kerala State Beverages Corporation.
But the plan to sell liquor online was shot down by the state Excise Minister following protests from anti-alcohol activists and political parties. Instead, the minister stated that he would consider distributing liquor through malls and special counters in supermarkets.
