E-Paper
Pune not high on alcohol home delivery; 80pc of liquor stores do not deliver
According to Ajay Deshmukh, secretary of the association in Pune, the biggest obstacle to home deliveries is that the stores have to ensure each of the delivery agents has a medical certificate stating s/he is Covid-free
Just 20 per cent of Pune’s 165 liquor stores are offering home delivery, according to the Pune District Wine Merchant’s Association.
Ajay Deshmukh, secretary of the association, said, “There is a shortage of manpower and many housing societies, even today, don’t allow outsiders to enter. We also have to deliver at no extra cost.”
The Maharashtra government allowed liquor stores to open in Pune, and in the state, on May 4.
The State excise department, on May 15, allowed home delivery of liquor.
Since then, 12 lakh home deliveries of alcohol have been reported in the state, according to figures available with the Pune excise department.
Deshmukh believes, in Pune, the biggest obstacle to home deliveries is that the stores have to ensure each of the delivery agents has a medical certificate stating s/he is Covid-free.
“Mumbai, has 550 wine shops and 3,000 permit rooms. The government was losing huge revenue. Hence, they wanted to start delivery in Mumbai, but began it across Maharashtra,” Deshmukh adds.
According to statistics shared by the state excise department on Wednesday, there are between 60,000 and 65,000 liquor orders being home delivered per day in Maharashtra; but, Pune district is recording not more than five home delivery orders in June.
“Home delivery has received maximum response from Mumbai, while Pune still has people preferring off the counter sales,” is state excise commissioner Kantilal Umap’s view.
“Sale of liquor, in volume terms, has gone down, though the business has managed to stay afloat,” Umap added.
“Since the crowds at wine shops have subsided, people find it easy to purchase liquor across the counter. The home delivery orders are coming from specific areas, and on weekends,” said Santosh Zagade, state excise superintendent.
“The trend of drinking and buying liquor in Pune has changed as demand for beer and country liquor has gone down, due to migrants returning and lower-income groups witnessing a fall in income,” said Raju Bagiya, owner of GSP Wines in Aundh.
“Those asking for home deliveries are mostly senior citizens, women and premium customers, who don’t want to risk coming to the shop,” said Bagiya.
Microbreweries have deliveries on tap
On June 15, the state government brought allowed 25 microbreweries to sell craft beer through growlers. “Growlers are one-five litre glass containers in which beer can be home delivered,” said Umap.
Elder statesman for craft brewers in Pune, Manu Gulati, also owner and founder of the Effingut microbrewery and restaurant, estimates his brewery division has suffered a Rs 30 lakh/month loss since the lockdown was imposed in Pune in March.
“Pune is a craft beer capital in India. The state government took a very proactive approach and enabled us to get our beer to consumers through way of growlers. The sale of the same has commenced for us since the last two days and we have seen an overwhelming response to our home delivery option,” Gulati says.
Effingut currently has 150 home delivery orders per day, across Pune, according to Gulati.
Customer speak
Sarthak Saxena, an IT consultant who lives in Baner, said, “I have not tried the home delivery since Aundh-Baner was a green Zone and when the government gave the OK for wine shops to open, we got alcohol without any problem. I bought enough to last for two weeks.”
”I had ordered using the WhatsApp number of my local wine shop, who was prompt with the delivery; the only problem was that I had to wait near the society gate as no one allowed to come in. It felt a little awkward waiting for delivery of liquor,” said Ravindra P, a resident of Kothrud.
