Figures hidden away in a new Competition Commission working paper reveal that the Big Four supermarkets sold £112.7 million pounds of beer, wines and spirits below cost in the World Cup period last year.
Of the 4 supermarkets reporting, Tesco was by far and away the worst culprit - admitting to £43.2M of beer and £48.7M of wines and spirits sold below cost.
These are astonishing figures and demonstrate to us the gross irresponsibility of those companies who have this 'sell it cheap' policy Nick Bish, chief executive of the ALMR.
These figures confirm the worst fears of pub and bar operators who have always known that cheap drink from supermarkets has fuelled the problem of 'binge drinking' and the disorder issues that have arisen for which the pub trade has traditionally, and wrongly, carried the blame.
Nick Bish, chief executive of the ALMR, said: "These are astonishing figures and demonstrate to us the gross irresponsibility of those companies who have this 'sell it cheap' policy that completely disregards the end use of the alcohol they sell.
"Pubs and bars have been at the centre of claims in the media that they alone are responsible for drink-related, town-centre disorder.
"In fact they have exercised considerable restraint, voluntarily clamping down on price related drinks promotions, focussing on effective door control and preventing under-age purchases."
Nick Bish added: "Pubs and bars are twice licensed - the building and the servers have to be trained and fit-for-purpose - and these are the best places for responsible drinking. We don't need our customers to arrive on our doorsteps already fuelled with cheap supermarket booze. The supermarkets really must now commit to a more socially acceptable pricing policy and work with us on promoting responsible consumption."
To see a copy of the full document click here and go to pages 41 and 42 and read paragraph 103.