'Supermarkets, not pubs, are the responsible ones'

Supermarkets are the "most responsible sellers of alcohol" while pubs and clubs "are often the sources of insobriety".

That's the view of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents shops and supermarkets, opposing fresh calls for minimum pricing in the new Home Affairs Committee report Policing in the 21st Century.

BRC director general Stephen Robertson said voters "would not thank politicians for using the force of law to push up their shopping bills".

"Supermarkets are the most responsible sellers of alcohol. For example they use 'Know Your Limits' unit labelling to help people regulate their drinking and have an exemplary record in preventing underage sales.

"Irresponsible drinking is not about price, it's a cultural issue, as many police officers recognise. The real point is that an alcohol price hike will simply not achieve the desired outcomes. If the Government put, say, 20% on the price of lager in supermarkets does the Committee really think it would alleviate the problem?

"Minimum pricing would penalise the overwhelming majority of customers who buy alcohol in supermarkets as part of their regular weekly shop and take it home to drink perfectly responsibly over a period.

"It's amazing politicians think voters would thank them for using the law to push up their shopping bills.

"And let's face it; sources of high priced alcohol such as pubs and clubs are often the sources of insobriety.

"A much better approach is the Community Alcohol Partnership, trialled in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire and soon to be rolled out. Here improved working between police and retailers reduced alcohol related disorder by 42% compared with before the scheme's introduction.

"There is a lot of nonsense talked about below-cost selling. No business could survive if it routinely sold products for less then it paid the manufacturers for them. Alcohol is only occasionally sold at less than cost as part of promotions with manufacturers designed to encourage customers to try new brands. It is not the norm.

On banning promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free, Robertson said: "Promotions don't create excessive consumption. They simply offer customers value for money alongside other groceries.

"Only 1% of alcohol sales are of alcohol alone. Promotional activity tends to be on larger volumes which are consumed with friends and family over an extended period. At a time when household budgets are under pressure, these measures would penalise the majority who drink perfectly responsibly."