– Do you have identification? A question that is not unusual to hear at the store on a Friday afternoon. But now customers at several convenience stores throughout the country can buy alcohol – completely without staff present. The Directorate of Health believes it is illegal to sell alcohol in this way. – We think that this is an unfortunate practice, and not very good that the Norwegian Directorate of Health, which interprets the alcohol law, says one thing, and that some municipalities still grant permits, says Department Director in the Norwegian Directorate of Health Øyvind Giæver. Øyvind Giæver in the Directorate of Health says it is unfortunate that municipalities grant licenses to unmanned alcohol halls. Photo: Svein Olsson State support Nevertheless, municipality after municipality has given the shops the go-ahead for unmanned alcohol sales, with full support from the government’s Merkur programme. A program that works to develop convenience stores. All over the country – in all counties – you can now find close to 100 convenience stores where you can shop outside normal opening hours. Many of them report increased turnover. The Merkur program The government’s Merkur program aims to ensure the district’s access to convenience stores, fuel facilities and bookshops. The program is part of the District Center and subordinate to the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. The Merkur program provides merchants with training and advice, and financial support for investments in the store. The goal is to make convenience stores profitable in order to give the residents a good store. At the start of 2024, there were 569 Merkur stores registered across the country. Most of them belong to the chains Joker, Nærbutikken, Snarkjøp, Coop Prix, Coop Marked or Matkroken. Nearly a hundred of these have now become fully digital and are self-igniting after normal opening hours. Source: merkur-programmet.no For the convenience store in Viksdalen in Sunnfjord, the scheme has worked well. If customers are to buy alcohol, they must identify themselves with fingerprints. You can also show your ID to a camera that an officer follows. – We sit and control it with apps, and we can follow along on camera. We will be notified when they come to the till and pay, says daily manager Henny Råheim at Joker Viksdalen. Henny Råheim at Joker Viksdalen in Sunnfjord only has good experiences with alcohol halls after the employees have gone home. Customers must identify themselves with fingerprints to be allowed to buy alcohol outside of staffed opening hours. With over 40 cameras in the store, daily manager Henny Råheim has a good overview of the store. Asking for clarification Sveinung Rotevatn (V) refers to the scheme as functioning well. – There is no question of putting a pallet of beer on the road, so that people can just come and help themselves, says the Liberal deputy leader. Rotevatn believes that the legal inconsistency creates unrest in rural communities where good convenience store offers are an important factor in people staying. He asks Health and Care Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) to clean up. – Will the minister clarify whether it is legal to sell alcohol from unmanned convenience stores, and present an amendment to the law that facilitates this if this is not the case? That’s what Rotevatn asks in a written question to Vestre. Sveinung Rotevatn (V) thinks the arrangement is good, and he asks the government to clarify the rules. Photo: William Jobling / news Good experiences Jenny Følling (Sp) is mayor of Sunnfjord, the municipality that gave the store in Viksdalen a license for an unmanned alcohol hall. She thinks it has been a success and agrees that the law should be changed if there is no law with such rooms. The Merkur programme, which has supported the shops in their work for an unlit alcohol hall, says they have not received any reactions to the scheme. – Since 2018–19, this has been tested, and we have no comments that things are not being followed up in accordance with the legislation, says head of department Steinar Fredheim in Merkur. He nevertheless agrees that the legislation would benefit from a refresh. – We see in several areas that legislation is not being developed in step with innovation and new creation, says Fredheim. Customers must register with their fingerprints and are allowed to buy alcohol on their own. Otherwise, it is free. Photo: Andrine Gald Myklebust Published 14.09.2024, at 08.03
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The Norwegian Directorate of Health believes self-igniting convenience stores sell alcohol illegally – news Vestland
