A Northolt shop is facing a licence review after allegedly selling alcohol to a 14-year-old volunteer during a test purchase operation. The Ealing Council's Licensing Sub-Committee convened on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, to discuss the future of Discount Food & Wine, located at 18 Mandeville Road.

The review application, submitted by Robert Dear, Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Officer, stems from an incident on 26 February 2025. During a compliance check, a 14-year-old volunteer was allegedly able to purchase a can of Budweiser without being asked for identification.

Exterior view of Discount Food & Wine, the premises subject to a licence review by Ealing Council.
Exterior view of Discount Food & Wine, the premises subject to a licence review by Ealing Council.

According to the Public reports pack provided to the committee, the staff member allegedly told officers that he sold because the age is 16 yrs. A subsequent inspection of the premises reportedly uncovered 232 non-compliant vapes, a cannabis grinder, and a packet of NDP cigarettes. NDP cigarettes are Non Duty Paid cigarettes, which are illegal in the UK.

Robert Dear, Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Officer, stated in the report pack that:

The Premises Licence Holder is failing to promote the Prevention of Crime and Disorder Licensing and the protection of Children from harm objectives. The volunteer was clearly under 18 years of age, was not asked for any ID and the staff member alone on the premises was not suitably trained. The trade in illegal non-complaint goods damages funding for essential public services and undermines legitimate traders including small independent shops that serve the local Ealing community.

The Public reports pack also references a prior incident in November 2020, where Mr Weweck Kakker, the premises licence holder, was allegedly found dropping packets of NDP cigarettes on the floor. Officers seized 160 cigarettes at that time.

As a result of these incidents, the licensing sub-committee is considering several options, including:

  • Modifying the licence conditions.
  • Excluding licensable activities.
  • Suspending the licence for up to three months.
  • Revoking the licence.
  • Leaving the licence as it is.

Image of items seized from Discount Food & Wine, including vapes and possibly other non-compliant goods.
Image of items seized from Discount Food & Wine, including vapes and possibly other non-compliant goods.

The report pack suggests several measures for the committee to consider regarding modifications to the license conditions, such as:

  • Suspending the licence for a minimum period of six weeks to three months to allow for staff training
  • Removing the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)
  • Requiring a personal licence holder to be on-site during permitted hours for alcohol sales
  • Adopting a Challenge 25 policy
  • Ensuring all alcohol is fully priced.

The Agenda frontsheet for the meeting, chaired by Councillor Ranjit Dheer, also included apologies for absence, declarations of interest, and determination of exempt information. The Panel Procedure Guidance Note was also included in the report pack.

It is currently unknown what the outcome of the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on August 6, 2025 was, and what decision was made regarding the Discount Food & Wine's license. The report from Robert Dear states that 232 non-compliant vapes were seized which ranged from 4000 - 9000 puffs. The specific regulations that make the vapes non-compliant are not detailed in the provided text.