India News | Delhi Govt Liquor Vends Looking for Bigger Spaces to Improve Customer Experience

New Delhi, April 12 (PTI) The Delhi government undertakings handling retail liquor sales in the city are looking for bigger shops, including malls and shopping complexes, to improve customer experience, officials said on Wednesday.

Under the existing excise regime, four Delhi government agencies – Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC), Department of Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Wholesale Store Ltd (DCCWS) – are currently running nearly 570 liquor vends across the city.

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Last year, the Delhi government scrapped its then newly implemented excise policy 2021-22 as a CBI probe was ordered by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena over alleged irregularities in its implementation.

The minimum carpet area of liquor stores under the policy was 500 square feet.

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After the private players quit the retail liquor business and the four undertakings of the government took it over in September 2022, the store size was reduced to 300 square feet.

Also, in the rush to resume liquor supply as soon as possible, the agencies were forced to open the vends even in smaller-sized shops, officials said.

"Now, we have asked the employees deployed at the liquor stores to look for renting adjacent shops to increase the vend size so that there is more space for the customers and the available brands could be displayed properly," said a senior official of one of the undertakings.

Another official said the option to open bigger shops in the malls and shopping complex was also being explored.

At present, less than a dozen liquor vends were being run in the malls. Delhi government had earlier announced that the four of its undertakings - DSIIDC, DTTDC, DSCSC and DCCWS – would open 1,000 outlets across the city.

With nearly 570 liquor stores currently operational across the city and 1,000 brands available, the focus now is to provide an improved experience to consumers with larger well-stuffed vends.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)