The Licensing Sub-Committee of Hammersmith and Fulham Council was scheduled to consider a review of the premises licence for Jo Jo Convenience Store, located at 58 Fulham High Street, London, SW6 3LQ. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items.

Review of Jo Jo Convenience Store Licence

The primary item scheduled for discussion was a review application for the premises licence of Jo Jo Convenience Store. This application was initiated by the Fulham's Trading Standards Team on 25 November 2025, citing concerns related to the prevention of crime and disorder.

The report pack detailed the current licence, which permits the sale of alcohol off the premises from Monday to Saturday between 06:00 and 00:30, and on Sundays from 06:00 to 00:00. The premises are open to the public from 06:00 to 02:00 daily, with extended hours on Sundays preceding a bank holiday Monday, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.

The background information provided noted that the premises operate as an off-licence in a mixed commercial and residential area. A consultation period had taken place, during which one representation was received from Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris. The premises licence holder had not formally responded to the review application or the representation at the time the report was compiled.

The report pack included an enforcement history for the premises, detailing several incidents. These included a licensing inspection in July 2022 that highlighted breaches of conditions related to signage, CCTV, and staff training. Further issues arose in October 2022 concerning age-related product training. In 2024, test purchases resulted in the confiscation of alcohol from underage individuals, leading to a request for further test purchases. A licensing inspection in December 2024 was attempted but the owner was not present. A subsequent inspection in April 2025 noted no issues.

The application for review was specifically grounded in the alleged failure of the premises to promote the licensing objective of the prevention of crime and disorder. The report detailed a history of alleged sales of illegal tobacco products, including Polish-market Marlboro Gold cigarettes and counterfeit Al-Fakher shisha, as well as oversize and overstrength e-cigarettes and non-UK duty-paid vodka. These incidents spanned from May 2021 to March 2025, involving individuals such as Mr Gajinder Singh Sachdeva and Mr Kalyan Singh.

The report highlighted that the business, operated by Insaf Ltd with Ishika Kaur as sole director, had previously been issued warning letters and had entered into cautions for offences. The review application noted that Mr Kalyan Singh, the current premises licence holder, had been warned in September 2022 about his potential liability for such offences.

The report also outlined policy considerations, referencing the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy (SLP) and guidance issued by the Secretary of State under the Licensing Act 2003. These policies address the grounds for licence reviews, the consideration of residents' needs, and measures to ensure the safety of women and girls in licensed settings. The report specifically referenced Annex 4 of the SLP, which outlines grounds for serious consideration of licence reviews, including the sale of illegal alcohol or tobacco, underage sales, and incidents of disorder.

The report concluded with a recommendation to revoke the premises licence. The reasoning provided was that the business had allegedly behaved recklessly by repeatedly purchasing illegal goods, despite opportunities to amend its behaviour. The report argued that such goods can be unsafe and that their distribution is often linked to organised crime groups. It was also noted that Mr Singh, despite becoming the premises licensee after some of these events, had participated in the activities.

A supplementary agenda item was also scheduled, which included proposed additional conditions for the premises licence related to the prevention of crime and disorder, prevention of public nuisance, public safety, and the prevention of children from harm. These proposed conditions covered aspects such as CCTV installation and operation, intruder alarms, incident logs, staff training, right to work checks, responsible alcohol retailing, and the implementation of a Challenge 25 policy.