The legal regulations of serving alcohol in your salon

Many salon clients appreciate the offer of an alcoholic drink especially on late opening nights after a hard day at work, or maybe in preparation for a wedding.

However, hair salon owners need to be aware that if they are offering clients an alcoholic drink (even though it is not being charged for) as part of the service, a premises licence is required.

Under the Licensing Act, two licences are required to serve alcohol:

• A PERSONAL licence for the salon owner / manager authorising staff to serve alcohol (Designated Premises Supervisor)
• A PREMISES licence for the salon itself.

Many salons are put off by the red tape, but applying for the relevant licences can be relatively inexpensive and straightforward. With the exception of bars, hotels, restaurants and pubs, it is hairdressing salons that are the most common business to have an alcohol licence. We recently advised a chair of men’s barbers, applying for 6 premises licences, so we are aware of the issues which can be raised. A properly prepared and considered application is less likely to receive opposition.

For a one-off event such as festive drinks for clients at Christmas time, salons may choose to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). Anyone can apply for up to 5 of these a year unless you are a Personal Licence Holder in which case they can apply for up to 15, covering 21 days at your premises.

The penalties for serving alcohol without the appropriate licences are high, so before you supply alcohol from your company’s premises, make sure you have the relevant permission in place. For advice and guidance on alcohol premises or personal licensing, please contact the Licensing team at Mincoffs on 0191 281 6151 or email Matt Foster, Head of Department mfoster@mincoffs.co.uk.