Stonehenge Food and Wine, a corner shop on Lower Richmond Road in Putney, could have its licence revoked after selling alcohol to underage volunteers during test purchases and accumulating three formal warnings from Wandsworth Council's licensing team. The council's licensing committee will publish its decision on the review in the coming days, with options ranging from taking no action to revoking the licence entirely.
Repeated breaches and failed test purchases
According to a report by Wandsworth licensing officers, the shop received its first formal warning on April 22 after an inspection found it in breach of multiple licence conditions. These included failures related to CCTV, incident logs, staff training, the 'Challenge 25' age-verification policy, and the sale of high-strength single cans.
A second warning was issued on June 30 after inspectors found the breaches remained unresolved. The report also detailed two failed test purchases during this period: alcohol was sold to a 16-year-old volunteer on April 17 and to another underage volunteer on June 24.
Third warning and licensing hearing
John McGann, Wandsworth's senior licensing officer, told the council's licensing hearing on Thursday, September 3, that the shop received a third warning after another inspection on August 25, which found major breaches of its licence remained. McGann described the case as concerning "a pattern of serious and repeated failures at Stonehenge Food and Wine to uphold the licensing objectives, most notably the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm."
He added: "Despite multiple inspections, formal warnings and opportunities to rectify matters, the evidence before you demonstrates continued non-compliance, two underage alcohol sales and a persistent disregard for conditions specifically imposed to safeguard the public." McGann argued for the licence to be revoked "given the repeated underage sales, persistent licence breaches, repeated failures following intervention and the absence of meaningful improvement."
Shop owner's response and next steps
The shop has held its licence since July 2025. Abdul Hamid Hamidi, who took over the licence in April, apologised for the second failed test purchase and said he understood his responsibilities regarding alcohol sales. He noted that he had put up a 'Challenge 25' poster in the shop in time for the council's third inspection.
The licensing committee's decision on the review will be published in the coming days. It could decide to take no action, issue a warning, revise the licence, suspend it, or revoke it entirely.
