So you have been thinking about selling liquor in South Australia. Maybe you make wine and you want to sell it, you want to sell alcohol at your coffee shop, or you want to start selling alcoholic gifts online? What ever the reason is if you want to sell alcohol in South Australia you will need a licence in most circumstances.

So what do you need to take into consideration when starting up your business?

Do you need a liquor licence

Depending on what type of business you run most likely you will need a licence if you want to sell liquor for a profit. There are exemptions to having to hold a licence how ever these are generally for practical applications such as selling liquor for medicinal or religious purposes.

Fit and Proper

Are you or your partners fit and proper people to hold a liquor licence? Do you or anyone you are related to have any serious criminal convictions? If you or anyone you are associated with does have a criminal past you may not be deemed fit and proper to hold a liquor licence.

Do you have a premises

Have you secured the right to a shop or premises where you can sell the liquor? Will your landlord and council let you sell alcohol from that premises? When choosing a premises you need to make sure that the business you conduct in conjunction to the sale of alcohol will not cause undue offence, annoyance, disturbance or inconvenience to people who work or reside in the vicinity.

What type of licence do you need

Deciding which type of licence class is the most appropriate for your business is a critical step. Different licence classes come with different licence restrictions which could limit your ability to trade. There are a number of different classes of licences each designed to suit a particular need and although many are very similar you need to make sure you get the correct licence as it will be very costly and time consuming to go through the process again.

What conditions do you need

Again determining what conditions you need with your licence is critical. For example do you need live entertainment, designated dining, extended trading authorisation or outdoor dining?

Permissions and consents

Do you have the appropriate consents to conduct your business in the selected location? Do you have landlord consent, council approval and will your neighbours and surrounding business mind if you start selling alcohol?