Cashing In On COVID-19 Lockdown, Zomato Wants To Deliver Alcohol

Zomato, the Indian food delivery company aims to branch out into delivering alcohol, as per a document seen by Reuters, as it seeks to cash in on high demand for booze during the country's coronavirus lockdown.

The firm has already diversified into grocery deliveries as the restrictions on movement shuttered some restaurants and people hesitated to order outside food due to fears of catching the virus.

Alcohol stores, closed nationwide on 25th March, were allowed to re-open this week, generating queues of hundreds of people outside some outlets in some cities and leading to baton charges by police to enforce social distancing norms.

To deter the large crowds, New Delhi authorities introduced a 'Special Corona Fee' of 70 per cent on top of retail alcohol prices, while Mumbai shut its liquor stores just after two days of reopening them.

There is presently no legal provision for home deliveries of alcohol in India, something that industry body International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) is lobbying to change in conjunction with Zomato and others.

"We believe that a technology-enabled home delivery based solution can promote responsible consumption of alcohol," Mohit Gupta, Zomato's Chief Executive Officer for food delivery, wrote in a business proposal to ISWAI.

The legal age for drinking alcohol differs from state to state, ranging between 18 and 25 years.

Zomato would target "areas that are relatively less affected by COVID-19," Gupta wrote in the unpublished document, submitted to ISWAI in mid-April and seen by Reuters.

Zomato didn't respond to a request for comment.