Mechelen Mayor Bart Somers (Anders) has ordered the night shop Arshdeep to close until early January after its owner was found to have sold spirits to minors, one of whom later fell into a coma.
The shop, on the corner of Kerkhoflei and Liersesteenweg, has been ordered to shut for nine weeks, from 2 November to 3 January.
The decision followed an inspection that found the owner had been selling liquor to underage customers.
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At the end of September, three young girls bought a bottle of vodka from the shop and were later found in distress and under the influence in a small park on Kluisstraat.
All three were taken to hospital with severe alcohol intoxication. One girl briefly fell into a coma, but has since recovered.
Somers said the nine-week closure was a serious but proportionate measure. He noted that the case was especially grave because one of the girls had ended up in a coma.
He also said this was not the first time the business had broken the rules. In April, the same shop was ordered to close for one month after inspectors found illegal employment practices and the sale of illegal products.
Somers said he regretted what he described as serious repeat offending, warning that if the owner fails to improve, the shop could lose its operating licence permanently.
Night shops in Mechelen are subject to strict rules under the city’s general municipal police regulations and a separate charter.
The city said shops are regularly checked for compliance during so-called flex actions, in which municipal services and police work together with external inspection bodies.
This is the fourth temporary closure of a day shop or night shop in Mechelen this year.
