Shop in Sandwell loses its licence after selling alcohol and vape to child

John’s Booze in Jowetts Lane, West Bromwich, had its licence revoked by Sandwell Council after searches at the store found hundreds of wrongly labelled cigarettes, illicit erectile dysfunction tablets, banned chewing tobacco and prohibited oversized vapes.

The shop, which opens from 7am to midnight every day, was run by licence holder Samanpreet Singh Bagri until the morning of the council hearing when a request was made to transfer the licence to family friend Harbir Sandhu.

Mr Sandhu, who was present at the hearing on November 10, vowed to turn the shop around but was unable to convince councillors who were concerned by the shop’s “notorious track record.”

At the hearing, West Midlands Police said the shop had continued selling illicit items despite a warning and it was concerned the owner was “clearly making a profit” from the enterprise.

The force added it was a “normal tactic” for shops that had been caught to change the licence holder at the last minute as a defence and called for the licence to be revoked.

West Midlands Police told Mr Sandhu he should re-apply for a new licence if he was serious about running the shop as it had “no faith or confidence” given the shop’s history.

The region’s police force said complaints had been received as far back as 2012 over the shop selling alcohol to children and had “no faith or confidence” in the shop being turned around.

Duncan Craig, representing John’s Booze, said Mr Bagri had recommended Harbir Sandhu after a “frank” conversation over the future of the shop.

Mr Sandhu, who has held a personal licence since 2010 and has previous experience running an off-licence, said he vowed to “change it around completely and have a fresh start.”

Cllr Jennifer Hemingway said she was “very concerned” by the “appalling reputation” of the shop and asked Mr Sandhu how he would turn the shop around given its “notorious track record.”

“It’s like anything, you have to get rid of the riff-raff,” he replied saying he would “work 110%” as well as be “extra vigilant and extra careful” to make sure the problems went away.

“Word would soon spread that you can’t do that stuff that was happening before at John’s Booze,” he added.

Cllr Hemingway said the work would be a “very large project with an uphill climb.”

“I’ve had shops before… I come from a business family background,” Mr Sandhu said.

“I know it’s an uphill climb but we will work hand-in-hand with the authorities to turn this around.”

Cllr Richard Jeffcoat added he was “uncomfortable” with Mr Sandhu deciding who would run the shop given its history.

Last year, another search of the shop found more than 80 oversized vapes and nearly 800 cool lip pouches.

A further search of the shop in 2024

A single cigarette was also sold to an undercover officer in 2024 which resulted in a further search of the shop.

The inspection found oversized vapes, banned chewing tobacco, prohibited erectile dysfunction tablets as well as open packs of cigarettes.

A search by Sandwell’s trading standards in May found 280 packets of incorrectly labelled cigarettes, seven bags of banned cool lip pouches, nearly 100 sachets of gel sildenafil – the trademark name for Viagra – as well as two samurai swords and two machetes.

The shop’s licence was also not on display and Mr Bagri could not produce CCTV footage when requested. The shop’s layout had also been changed without permission.

A licensing report published ahead of last week’s meeting said the shop had been the subject of a number of complaints whereby the owner was accused of selling single cigarettes and oversized vapes to children.

A parent had also complained to Sandwell Council that her 16-year-old daughter had bought alcohol from the shop using a fake ID on several occasions.

Cllr Kay Millar and Cllr Paul Moore, who represent the Hateley Heath ward, said the row of shops in Jowett’s Lane, near Phoenix Collegiate, one of the West Midlands’ biggest secondary schools, were home to drug-dealing on a “large scale” and John’s Booze had been accused by locals of selling alcohol, vapes and cigarettes to children as well as ‘under the counter’ items such as banned Viagra and chewing tobacco.

The shop is also half a mile from Sandwell Community School – home to students who have been permanently excluded or are at risk of being permanently excluded from school.

In support of the licensing review, the two Labour councillors said: “This business operates a stone’s throw away from a large secondary school across the road.

“It’s extremely accessible to young people in particular.

“As councillors we know that drug dealing is happening all over the ward but it’s prevalent, and in close proximity, to this row of shops.

“Young people are dealing after school and are attracted by and to gang identity.

“It’s also an attractive easy access way for adults to access these products.

“It’s local, available and discrete.”