Hopscotch Founder Speaks Out on Pandemic Loss | Auckland News

Auckland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Sep 4, 2026 · 1m

A West Auckland beer company founder is speaking out after being forced to sell his 15-year-old business, blaming pandemic lockdown rules that unfairly favored trust-owned liquor stores over independent retailers like his. Hugh Grierson argues the policy created an uneven playing field, leaving his shop shuttered while competitors thrived — a decision he believes could have been avoided if he’d been allowed to trade under the same conditions. Struggling to repay government funds while paying himself to survive as the sole employee, he ultimately sold Hopscotch Beer Company, unable to recoup…