The Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) asked the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin temporarily allow retailers to remotely sell alcohol, writes RBC.
AKIT said that because of the upcoming January holidays, people will visit shopping centers and shops more often. At the same time, in some regions, the opening hours of the shopping center are limited. This leads to a concentration of people, retailers say. “The ability for buyers to collect online a full basket of goods, including products from the alcoholic assortment, will allow a significant portion of customers to switch to remote service,” the letter says.
Internet sales of alcohol were limited by a government decree back in 2007. In 2017, The Ministry of Finance prepared a bill that suggested that distance alcohol trading would begin in 2020 , but it has not yet been adopted.
According to information of Group-IB analysts, turnover for 2020 illegal alcohol purchases amounted to 2.5 billion rubles. The figure has hardly changed compared to last year.