The Alcohol & Gambling Licensing Sub-Committee of West Northamptonshire Council was scheduled to consider a review of the premises licence for Central Food & Wine, located at 73 Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items.

Premises Licence Review: Central Food & Wine

The primary item scheduled for discussion was an application for a review of the premises licence for Central Food & Wine, 73 Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton NN5 7DP. This review was initiated by Northamptonshire Police on the grounds of failure to promote the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder.

The report pack detailed several incidents that led to the review. These included two test purchases conducted by West Northamptonshire Council's Trading Standards officers on 31 August 2025 and 7 September 2025, which allegedly involved the sale of cheap cigarettes that appeared to be foreign-labelled and therefore not duty-paid.

A further multi-agency operation on 23 October 2025, involving Trading Standards, Northamptonshire Police, Immigration Officers, and Fire Protection Officers, resulted in the seizure of a significant quantity of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from a van associated with the premises. Officers believed that 249 packets of cigarettes and 37 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco were counterfeit, 511 packets were foreign-labelled and non-duty paid, and 194 packets were cheap whites not permitted for sale in the UK. The total value of the seized items, if sold at legal prices, was estimated to be over £15,700.

During this operation, Mr. Shamir Hussein identified himself as the owner of the business. The report notes discrepancies regarding the named Designated Premises Supervisor and Premises Licence Holder, with the licence displayed showing Shahram Mohamed Rasuli, while Mr. Hussein indicated he held a personal licence and Ms. Nicoleta Puscasu also worked in the store. The current premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor is listed as Ms. Nicoleta Puscasu, who also holds a personal licence.

The premises is licensed for the retail sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises between 08:00 and 00:00, Monday to Sunday.

The report also highlighted that on 22 January 2026, the licensing team received an email from the premises licence holder stating her wish to surrender the premises licence. Under Section 28 of the Licensing Act 2003, the licence is considered to have lapsed upon receipt of this notice. However, Section 50 of the same Act allows for the reinstatement and transfer of a lapsed licence within 28 days of its lapse, provided no objection is raised by the Chief Officer of Police. The deadline for such an application was 19 February 2026.

Given the licence is considered lapsed, the sub-committee was presented with options to either adjourn the hearing until after the reinstatement period had passed, or to proceed with the review and potentially modify conditions, exclude activities, remove the designated premises supervisor, suspend, or revoke the licence.

The report included witness statements from Trading Standards officers Catherine Rachel Bennett, Peter Andrew Fear, and Carol Louise Gamble, as well as a statement from Police Constable Leanne Laren. These statements detailed the findings of the test purchases and the multi-agency operation.

Northamptonshire Police, represented by PC 575 Leanne Laren, requested the revocation of the premises licence, citing the premises' use for the sale of illicit tobacco products as undermining the prevention of crime and disorder objective. The police statement referenced guidance from the Secretary of State's section 182 guidance to the Licensing Act 2003, which states that the sale or storage of smuggled tobacco should be treated particularly seriously and that revocation should be considered in the first instance. The police also noted that illicit tobacco is linked to other serious criminality, including drug dealing, money laundering, and human trafficking.

The report also mentioned that during the inspection on 23 October 2025, officers found non-compliant disposable vapes, which became illegal to supply and sell from 1 June 2025 under The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes)(England) Regulations 2024.

The agenda also included a standard item regarding the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting for specific agenda items, should the sub-committee decide it was necessary due to the likely disclosure of exempt information.