London: A Muslim family has taken over hundreds of petrol stations across the United Kingdom and bans alcohol from shop shelves.
The new owners, soon after the takeover has ordered for the removal of alcohol from sale from all the stations.
As per reports published in Dailymail, it was established by brothers, Zuber and Mohsin Issa in 2001 with a single petrol filling station in Bury, Greater Manchester.
The petrol stations are part of the fast growing Euro Garages, which has 350 petrol stations across the country.
The business worth £1.3billion and has embarked on an aggressive expansion plan which includes procurement of petrol stations previously run by the likes of British Petroleum, Esso and Shell.
The ban was not imposed for religious reasons, the company said it do not think it was ethical to sell alcoholic drink to people who are driving.
A spokesman for the company said: ‘The business has operated a no alcohol policy since it began in 2001. This is for ethical reasons, on the basis it retails on forecourts and therefore predominantly to car drivers.’
The decision to ban alcohol from shop shelves is inevitably costing the family a considerable amount in terms of sales and profit; but it has not stalled their success.
Organizations campaigning against drunken driving and health experts condemn the move and the company’s decision sparked conversation across social media.