SERVING ALCOHOL IN YOUR BARBERSHOP CAN BE A MINEFIELD OF LEGALITIES. THE BRITISH MASTER BARBERS HAVE CREATED A GUIDE TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW.
Many barbershops offer clients an alcoholic beverage but without knowing the legal implications. Without a license, you could be committing an offence under your local licensing laws and could be heavily fined. This applies to both giving away alcoholic drinks or selling them connected to a sale within your barbershop. You will require two licences to sell alcohol within your barbershop as stated by the Licensing Act. The first is a Premises Licence and licensed premises need a designated premises supervisor with a Personal Licence.
Barbershop owners often get caught out by the fact that you need a licence to give drinks away to your customers as part of the service. Even if you’re not charging your customer directly for the drinks you have provided, it is seen by many local authorities as being connected with the sale of the haircut or service provided.
If anybody that enters your barbershop is offered a free drink without having a paid service you could argue that the drink is not directly linked to a sale on your premises and that you don’t need a licence. Again, we highly recommend that you check this with your local authority before giving away any alcoholic drinks. For non-regular, one off events including photo shoots, shop openings or gatherings you don’t require a licence to provide alcohol as long as the attendees are not paying for any service provided by or located within the barbershop. For more regular events you may need a temporary event licence.
The British Master Barbers recommend that before providing any alcohol within your
barbershop that you contact your local authorities to make sure you fall within the legalities required as rules differ between.
For further information about licensing laws visit
www.direct.gov.uk
