Trade welcomes Europe ruling on online booze purchases

Trade leaders have welcomed a European Union ruling blocking shoppers from buying low duty alcohol online.

The ruling could have allowed consumers to order cheaper alcohol by internet or by mail order and have their goods delivered directly to their homes.

But following yesterday's European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision shoppers will have to stock up by travelling abroad on the traditional "booze cruise" and accompany their goods back into the UK.

John McNamara, BII chief executive, said: "It was a great concern to the licensed trade that if sales could have been made remotely and delivered then the fight against under age sales and cheap smuggled goods would have been much tougher."

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers called it a "victory for common sense". Nick Bish, chief executive of the ALMR said: "Pubs and bars will be breathing a sigh of relief that the ECJ has upheld our interpretation of the law.

"We already have a million pints of beer crossing the channel each day because of the duty differential between Britain and France - that is a million lost sales a day for British pubs and bars."

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) said everyone favoured a free-market economy but it had to be on the basis of a level playing field.

"The speculation around this decision has highlighted the different excise duty rates across the European Union and any other outcome could potentially have put UK businesses at a serious disadvantage compared to their European counterparts," he said.