VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) sold liquor worth Rs 147 crore on New Year’s Eve (December 31), two times higher than the average sale of alcohol in a single day.
The average sale on a single day is pegged at Rs 75 crore to Rs 85 crore. As many as 1.51 lakh cases of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 67,000 cases of beer were sold.
As New Year’s Eve and Sunday coincided, tipplers made a beeline at liquor outlets in the morning itself. The government allowing APSBL’s liquor stores to be open for three extra hours until midnight also contributed to the record sales.
APSBCL managing director D Vasudeva Reddy said, “Alcohol worth Rs 142 crore was sold on December 31, 2022.” Sources also pointed out that the recent hike in prices of different liquor brands also contributed to the surge in revenue.
Although bars were allowed to stay open for two extra hours till 1 am, business was slow.
Vasudeva Reddy pointed out that sales at bars had dropped to Rs 10 crore from Rs 20 crore last year. Bar owners attributed the dip in sales to the extended hours of liquor outlets. When outlets are open for a longer time, customers prefer purchasing liquor from there as prices are less compared to bars.
Stating that the value of a quarter bottle in bars is Rs 50 to Rs 80 more in comparison to liquor outlets, a bar owner said, “We purchase liquor from the APSBCL at the same cost that they sell to outlets. Thus, we are forced to enhance the prices to meet expenses.”