A fresh attempt has been made to reopen an off-licence in Wolverhampton that was twice shut down over illicit alcohol sales. Hizbullah Ahmadzai and Atif Atifi have applied to City of Wolverhampton Council for a licence to sell alcohol at HA Supermarket, located in the former AK Convenience Store on Willenhall Road, East Park.
The council's licensing subcommittee rejected plans to reopen the shop earlier this year, but the applicants have again submitted a request to sell alcohol between 8am and 11pm daily. At a hearing on January 29, the subcommittee criticised the "lack of transparency" regarding the sale of the business, which suggested ongoing links to previous owners. Even if those concerns were set aside, the committee said it was not confident that the inexperienced owners had the knowledge to run the off-licence safely. The committee noted that Mr Ahmadzai and Mr Atifi could not name any of the licensing objectives—including preventing crime, disorder, public nuisance, public safety, and protecting children from harm—despite recent training.
History of Violations
The shop, previously known as 3 Jyott Off-Licence and later AK Convenience Store, had its licence revoked in 2023 after selling high-strength lager to a 15-year-old girl with learning difficulties. The teenager was later rushed to hospital with a suspected cardiac arrest after collapsing in the street. The father of the girl confronted the then-owner, Gurdip Singh, who paid £50 to cover medication costs in exchange for a promise not to report the incident. Months later, Singh's 16-year-old son sold two cans of gin and tonic to an undercover child without asking for ID during a council sting operation.
A new licence was granted on condition that Singh was barred from the business, but he remained involved. The licence was revoked again last year, and the shop continued selling alcohol without a licence. Wolverhampton Trading Standards seized a "large amount of alcohol" from the premises. The licensing subcommittee stated in 2023 that revocation was the only option given the serious harm caused, the repeated underage sales, Singh's deletion of CCTV evidence, and his attempt to bribe the father.
The new applicants now face scrutiny over their ability to operate responsibly. The council has yet to announce a decision on the latest application.
