Liquor sales jump in TN ahead of a dry week

Liquor sales in TASMAC shops shot up resulting in an additional revenue of Rs 15 crore a day, indicating that drinkers have decided to buy and store it for the next six days. It may be noted that shops will be closed for the next days due to local election.

Across the state, there are 6,696 shops, of which 482 are in Chennai. Every year, these shops clock revenues to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore.

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is a company owned by the state government, which has a monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcohol in Tamil Nadu. It controls the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) trade in the state.

The Election Commission directed closure of these shops for the next six days in view of the local municipality elections in the state. Following this, sources said people have been buying in large quantities and storing it, resulting in a substantial increase in sales.

On an average, sales in these shops across the state are around Rs 52 crore, which rose to around Rs 67 crore. On Friday alone, the sales stood at around Rs 90 crore, according to TASMAC sources.

Everyday around 130,000 cases of beer normally will sell. This has gone up by 40,000 cases. Each case will have 12 full bottles.