Saturday, October 1, 2011

Scots booze deal ban introduced

wineRetailers with no longer be able to offer discounts to those bulk buying alcohol

New laws have come into force which limit the sale of cheap alcohol in Scotland.

The Scottish government has introduced a ban on "irresponsible" drinks promotions by retailers.

Shops and supermarkets can no longer make offers such as buy-one-get-one-free and multi-buy discounts on wine.

Some retailers may use loopholes to get around the ban. Tesco is still offering discounts on online wine orders.

The Alcohol Bill, passed at Holyrood last year, prevents retailers from offer deals to customers who buy in bulk.

It also restricts advertising of alcohol around premises.

The bill introduces a requirement for age verification and a new tax that could be imposed on licence holders.

Minimum pricing

The tax, called a social responsibility levy, aims to ensure retailers and licensed premises, such as nightclubs, contribute to the wider cost of their activities on the community.

Earlier this week Tesco sent customers an email telling them they would still be able to get cut-price wine online as it would be dispatched from a depot in England.

MSPs have warned that other retailers may remove discounts for quantity but may instead sell single bottles of alcohol for the same discount price.

Instead of three bottles of wine for �10 they may sell one bottle for �3.33.

But Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon insisted the ban on multi-buy deals would cut alcohol consumption.

She said: "I have had it put to me that supermarkets will reduce the cost of a bottle of wine as a response to this.

"Now minimum pricing of course would have an effect there and we intend to bring back our bill on that.

"But if somebody is going to buy one bottle of wine, as they intended to do when they went into the supermarket, instead of three bottles, that they are tempted to buy because it is on offer, then that is helping us reduce alcohol over-consumption."

In August this year a NHS Scotland report revealed that adults in Scotland were consuming 23% more alcohol than adults in England and Wales.

Wine accounted for the largest rise in consumption, with sales more than doubling since the mid 1990s.

The Scottish government plans to go further in its bid to tackle Scotland's drinking culture by re-introducing minimum alcohol pricing proposals previously blocked by opposition parties.

In January the UK government unveiled plans to set a minimum price for alcohol in England and Wales and calls have also been made for a similar measure to be introduced in Northern Ireland.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-scotland-15125064

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