NEW DELHI: Diwali weekend brought some good fortune for the liquor industry and the excise department with Delhiites consuming alcohol worth more than Rs 100 crore. According to officials, the three days before Diwali saw a mega sale of liquor in the city with 460-odd liquor stores collectively selling about 48 lakh liquor bottles. While 13.5 lakh bottles sold on Friday, October 21, the number rose to over 15 lakh on Saturday, October 22. The sale of liquor broke all records on Sunday, October 23, with the city stores recording a total sale of nearly 20 lakh bottles. The liquor stores in the Capital observed a dry day on Diwali, which was celebrated on Monday, October 24. The average sale of liquor on usual days hovers around 11-12 lakh bottles, the excise officials said. The festival of Diwali was a mega affair this year after two years of relatively subdued celebrations due to the pandemic. Excise officials said it also reflected in the sale of alcohol as heavy rush was witnessed on liquor stores on the day before Diwali. “We sold liquor worth more than Rs 30 crore on October 21, which increased to Rs 33 crore on October 22 and Rs 42.5 crore on October 23,” said an official. Officials, however, said the sale would have been greater if the entire bouquet of premium brands was available in Delhi. A large number of popular brands were missing from the shelves that shifted a part of sale to neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Popular premium brands are often used for gifting purposes too during the festival. Sources in excise department confirmed that historically, the festival season is the peak consumption period for most consumer-facing sectors including alcohol-beverage and post pandemic, this was the first festival be celebrated across the country. “Given the low density of retail liquor vends and shortage of stocks, consumers in Delhi found it challenging to get the brand of their choice and there were limited options for gifting too,” said an official. Industry bodies, such as International Spirits and Wines Association of India and Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, too had expressed concern about limited availability of premium brands.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-bought-rs-100-crore-of-booze-in-diwali-weekend/articleshow/95188275.cms