Deregulation of Shop Trading Hours

[Verbatim9]

^^Those bottle shops you mentioned are only a couple, reaching only a portion of SAs population. At least if you could market and sell your wine beer and spirits through a local IGA/Foodland or Aldii it would reach a wider proportion of the SA population. As for Australian Wine in the UK; It's the same here in Australia with international wine. Aldi Coles and Woolworths outlets only stock a limited supply of International wine except for NZ Sav Blanc's. I still believe that Liquor is best sold through supermarkets and the hours they trade should be at least 7am-11pm 7 days. For the exception of Christmas Day and 1/2 Day Anzac Day.

[Llessur2002]

I dunno - I'm just very wary of handing over anything else to supermarkets. I'm hard-pushed to name one single product area where supermarkets have actually improved conditions for the producers and increased choice for consumers. Just look at the dairy industry for example, it's having a very hard time. Likewise I've not heard anything from fruit and veg growers to suggest that supermarkets are helping their businesses. The SA wine industry seems to be relatively healthy - I'm not sure why we would want to risk jeopardising that (although I am not sure what the split of domestic to export sales would be for large and/or small winemakers - they may be better protected from changes to the local retail market).

[SBD]

The new local shopping centre at Eyre on Stebonheath Road presently only has two shops occupied (I think there's space for four or five more shops and a cafe). The two shops are Drakes Foodland and Drakes Cellarbrations. Yes, I have to show my credit card twice, but I don't think it's that inconvenient to have them as separate shops.

The closest opposition shop would be the BWS at Playford Tavern on Peachey Road, followed by the Davoren Park shops including an IGA (but not alcohol) and OTR Davoren Park.

The tavern/BWS is the only one of those that is not a family-owned business, and even if OTR and Drakes aren't any more, they all started off small.

I think that simplifying the trading hours should be the major goal, and the easiest way to achieve that is to reduce the bulk of the regulations. My wife worked at Coles 30-some years ago when Saturday afternoon trading was just starting. At that stage, they had to close the meat fridges at midday as they were not allowed to sell meat on Saturday afternoons, but they were allowed to sell vegetables. Now, that rule is eased, but reputedly Harvey Norman shops are built the way they are here due to the trading laws letting them sell furniture at times when they are not allowed to sell electrical goods.

[bits]

^^Those bottle shops you mentioned are only a couple, reaching only a portion of SAs population.

Do we really need to list every good independent bottle shop? You do realise Fassina is a chain of 8 stores with 1 in Whyalla.
Parafield Airport Liquor Store, Belair Fine Wine, Port Admiral Hotel Bottle Shop the list of these stores is endless.
Every corner of SA has independent liquor stores and their reach is extensive.

[Nathan]

Yup, exactly where I’m coming fro Llessur.

The supermarket owned bottle shops (especially Dan’s) already have significant control of the market. I’ve heard from countless wine and beer producers that get completely screwed down by Dan Murphys to the point it’s very hard to turn any kind of profit. We’ve seen this behavior in other categories with Woolworths and Coles.

I’ll always continue to support independent liquor stores that in turn support independent producers, but if making it more convenient to buy mass produced booze I fear will make a big enough dent that it will significantly hurt independent stores and producers. Craft brewers are already at a disadvantage against the majors due to the way the alcohol excise is structured.

[SRW]

See Who Makes My Wine.

The supermarket duopoly favours scale, which means sameness. But unlike other product categories, the supermarkets rebadge private brand wine under countless 'winemaker' labels to create an illusion of choice. Actual artisan winemakers are crowded out.

Beyond that, neither Woolies or Coles need anymore market share.

I'd be open to liquor sales in smaller shops like IGAs, but tbh I think the independent cellars that the current regime fosters are strong contributors to Adelaide's connoisseurship of food and wine. The connection to producer will always be more direct at that scale, so there should be good reason to change laws that may endanger such a culture.

[Nort]

Are you worried about market share of alcohol sales or consumers access to alcohol creating societal problems? I don't know about the smaller space being an issue. Aldi here in Perth sell alcohol (not sure about other states), and their stores are on quite a small footprint. IGA/ Foodland could easily sell a small range of alcohol, and give it to Coles/ Woolies...ie BWS, Dans etc. Alcohol is sold in supermarkets all over Europe large and small alike. If it is the societal problems you are concerned about, that is a different issue, and should be dealt with by enforcing the already existing laws relating to public intoxication, and domestic violence.

I presume he's talking about the fact that supermarkets, with only a limited amount of shelf space to devote to alcohol over that of a typical bottle shop, will generally stock just a 'core' range of products from only the largest producers - essentially shutting out the smaller producers from the local retail market. For example, in the UK all supermarkets sell wine but the range of Australian wine is generally confined to a fairly drab selection of Hardy's, Penfold's, Wolf Blass and Jacob's Creek - as well as a few bottles which are sold under the supermarket's own label (but most likely still mass produced from one of the aforementioned winemakers).

Small, independent bottle shops are few and far between now in the UK as the supermarkets have priced them out of the market with their cheap, convenient but very homogenised offering. If such a situation were to be replicated in South Australia it could spell trouble for the likes of Fassina, Goodwood Cellars etc which would then leave the smaller producers which had been spurned by the large supermarkets with limited options to sell their product to the public.

In 10-20 years we'll all just be picking up a $10 bottle of Jacob's Creek from Woolies on our way home from work and only enjoying the good stuff when we bother to take a wine tour to the remaining producers in the Barrossa or McLaren Vale.

Exactly.

The convenience of being able to pop into Tescos or Sainsburys for booze is outweighed by the fact it basically gives them a monopoly over the retail market.

[ghs]

It's been a couple of months now since the election. Does anyone have any news on when deregulation will occur ?

[Ben]

Do we even have a premier?

[rev]

Do we even have a premier?

Christopher Pyne?

[SBD]

Do we even have a premier?

Are you really complaining that our present government doesn't feel the need to announce something to distract us ever day or two?

[Ben]

They have not announced anything because they have not done anything. Pretty simple really. They have 3 more weeks to implement what they promised within the first 100 days. that will be their first real test.

[Nort]

They have not announced anything because they have not done anything. Pretty simple really. They have 3 more weeks to implement what they promised within the first 100 days. that will be their first real test.

Let's not criticise the new state government if they are taking time to properly assess the conditions now that they have access to all the various bureaucracies and information. For example on power they haven't been rushing to implement their policies but then this week are saying things that suggest they want to take the best from their and the previous governments policies which is a great thing if it happens.

[Waewick]

Personally i feel its a breath of fresh air not having Kouts or Premier Jay filling every news reel with their latest whinge/ fight/ reannouncement.

Its a shame we cant get this from all forms of Government more often.

[rev]

Personally i feel its a breath of fresh air not having Kouts or Premier Jay filling every news reel with their latest whinge/ fight/ reannouncement.

Its a shame we cant get this from all forms of Government more often.

So out of Marshalls 100 day plan, what has he achieved so far?
Can you fill us in, because he isn't telling us much.