By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Liquor stores proprietors yesterday said they saw no challenge in complying with the new licensing regime that requires new licence and renewal applications to undergo a public consultation.

George Robinson Jr, owner of Base Road Wholesale Bar, said the amendments to the Business Licence Act tabled alongside Wednesday's 2025-2026 Budget are nothing new and he questioned “why they discontinued that".

The Business Licence (Amendment) Bill 2025, in its objects and reasons section, states: "This Bill seeks to amend the Business Licence Act 2023 to introduce a registration and fee requirement for liquor establishments, and the requirements that should be considered by the secretary prior to issuing the same.

"It also seeks to amend the time limit of the Secretary when considering a notice of objection and the extension of the time limit for an applicant to object an appeal." The reforms stipulate that the Bahamian public are to be given two weeks' notice prior to a consultation being held on a liquor licence registration application. 

Consultation also has to take place over a licence renewal, with key considerations including whether "the community is already adequately serviced by liquor stores, bars or restaurants" and if the business is "in too close proximity to a school or place of worship". The condition of the premises is also another factor. Bars and restaurants, as well as hotels, will likely be caught by this.

“That's nothing new,” Mr Robinson said. “One time ago, when you applied for your licence, it used to be published. If you wanted to get a new licence, you have to publish it, and you put it in the papers, and people who had an objection were able to object to it. I don't know why they discontinued that. That is nothing new. 

“I know back in the days when we applied for our licence, we had to do it and if somebody applied for a licence right up the street from us, we would know because it had been published. I know back then, I stopped someone from obtaining a licence because we saw it in the newspaper, and they were opening up right up the road from us, and it was one of our suppliers.

"So we were able to launch our objection. We went to certain people in the area, too, where they was opening it up, and they objected to it and it wasn't approved. So that's not nothing new."

Mr Robinson said with so many liquor stores in close proximity, competition becomes a problem because all liquor establishments are selling the same product. He added that public consultation can cut down on the amount of liquor stores located in one area.

“When it comes to food, you could compete because everybody could sell something different,” Mr Robinson said. “You see, with food and clothing, yes, that could happen. But in the liquor business, beer is beer. Everybody is selling the same product. So you don't need 50 liquor stores on the same street. Everybody's selling the same thing. Nobody's making money.” 

Brent “Bookie” Ferguson, owner of BookieBren Wholesale & Retail Liquor Store, said he stands by the Bill's requirement to have a public consultation adding that he has faced objections before and accepts it. 

“A few years ago, I tried opening a liquor store on Prince Charles,” Mr Ferguson said. “There was a liquor store there sometime before. The thing about it, there was a liquor store across the road before… It got challenged, not from the public. The persons within the department said: ‘No, the school and the church are right next door.’

"But I said this was a liquor store before. But you know what? I tried my best, and guess what? I accepted the fact that that's what they said. ‘Hey, it can't happen.’ And I didn't get that licence. Now, you know, what unfortunately happened a few years later? Someone right there now in that location selling liquor. That's the problem. 

“There’s nothing wrong with it. It happened to me and I didn't report it to anybody. I accepted what they said." Both Mr Ferguson and Mr Robinson agree that public consultation would also help in enforcing the policy that restricts the approval of liquor licences within 700 feet of schools, churches or other licensed liquor establishments.

“Unfortunately, there are too many people who get away with for whatever reason” Mr Ferguson said. “if you go and you drive around, there are some people who may have been there a long time ago, but I'm talking about new licences still being issued, and you have the rule sitting right in place.

"Someone isn’t doing their job. But public consultation does a whole lot more because maybe it eliminates a one-on-one with potential liquor licence holders, and the person who maybe have some issue with that licence. Public consultation helps to keep everything in place.”