By James Atkinson
Master Grocers Australia and its Liquor Retailers Australia committee (MGA/LRA) has announced its immediate withdrawal from the Australian Liquor Stores Association (ALSA).
MGA/LRA has been a member of ALSA for more than 20 years, firstly in the capacity of two separate Victorian organisations, MGA and founding member, the Liquor Stores Association of Victoria (LSAV), and then, when LSAV joined MGA in 2007, in the current capacity of one organisation, MGA/LRA.
MGA/LRA has over 2,500 independent retailer members located around Australia, including over 1,000 members with packaged liquor licenses.
In a statement released this week, the organisation said it was "completely dedicated to supporting the needs of its members, independent supermarket and liquor store owners and operators".
"In the best interest of its members, MGA’s Board of Directors and the LRA committee has determined, to withdraw from any further involvement, on a day to day basis, from ALSA."
"MGA/LRA will continue to collaborate with ALSA, on various matters that are common to the packaged liquor retail sector. This is to ensure there is strength and unity in regard to any state or national issues that are required to be addressed on behalf of our members around Australia."
The news comes shortly after ALSA announced it had restructured to become a "truly national organisation, rather than a meeting point for state and territory liquor stores associations, the major chains and the Master Grocers”.
ALSA disappointed
ALSA CEO Terry Mott said in a statement that the association was disappointed to see MGA/LRA leave following the restructure, which was undertaken to provide a significant lift in resource and policy focus.
"However, ALSA has always and will continue to focus on representing the overall packaged liquor store sector, including small independently owned and operated stores through to the national chain operated stores," he said.
"We believe the industry must be united on the important alcohol policy issues and our mission is to represent a responsible, profitable, sustainable and diverse packaged liquor sector.
"ALSA has been growing its membership across the board, including the many membership services and benefits developed specifically for our independent members, which has driven independent store membership growth in areas like NSW by nearly double over the last four to five years," said Mott.
"ALSA will continue to collaborate with MGA/LRA on areas of common interest – particularly on alcohol policy and the sustainability of the industry, where all packaged liquor store operators need to have a united policy position and one that is in tune with the overall alcohol beverages and hospitality sector."