The Monash University study found a 35 per cent increase in intentional injuries such as assaults and a 22 per cent increase in unintentional injuries such as falls in neighbourhoods surrounding liquor chain stores.

A total of 295 bottle shops in Melbourne were randomly picked out for the study, which was commissioned by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, including 215 chain stores.

The analysis compared Ambulance Victoria data showing where ambulances were dispatched for injuries with the location of the outlets. The ambulance callout data did not specify whether the injuries were alcohol-related.

Lead researcher Chris Morrison said the stores contributed to the increased ambulance callouts in surrounding areas.

"We can be fairly confident that there is some relationship between them but we could not say it is causative," he said.

He said the analysis also accounted for zoning and demographic features of an area that would influence the number of ambulance callouts.

The larger outlets sold cheaper alcohol than independent stores and were more likely to be located in disadvantaged areas, the research found.

"In areas where there are more bottle shops there are more injuries but when you break it down it is consistently the chains that come through as the outlets that have the greatest effect," Mr Morrison said.

FARE chief executive Michael Thorn said the study showed limiting the number of new bottle shops – particularly chain stores – would reduce the level of harm.

"In Victoria alone, licensed premises have more than doubled since 1998 resulting in a dramatic increase in alcohol harms, including a two-fold increase in alcohol-related ambulance attendances between 2003 and 2012," he said.