Pub boss starts online campaign against supermarkets
A pub group boss has turned his anger at bargain basement booze prices in supermarkets into an online campaign.
Michael Kheng, who runs the six-pub strong Kurnia Group in Lincolnshire, has been a long-standing critic of supermarkets selling cheap alcohol.
And in response he has now set up a campaign on social networking site Facebook to 'Make people aware of the irresponsible drinks promotions in supermarkets.'
Kheng said: "It's an issue that really winds me up, pubs are constantly blamed for irresponsible promotions and supermarkets get off scot free.
"I thought if we had a Facebook page it is all out there for people to see."
The campaign urges the 'government to wake up' and lists six reasons why it is wrong for supermarkets to sell below-cost:
- Cheap alcohol is consumed in unsupervised areas
- Cheap alcohol can easily be consumed by under 18's
- Pre-loading is being promoted which leads to more trouble in our town and city centres
- More pubs are put out of business - many because they are tied and are buying at two or three times the price in the supermarket
- The general public do not realise that the supermarkets are making a loss and therefore think pubs are vastly overcharging
- The price per alcohol unit that is being suggested everywhere is 40p per alcohol unit, the supermarkets are selling at a lot lower than this
The site also provides a forum for people to list cheap deals in supermakets. The latest deals include four x 440ml cans Sainsbury Basic Lager at 91p - around 30p a pint of 26p per unit.
The page also links to The Publican's Make it the Minimum campaign which is calling for a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol to bring an end to irresponsible supermarket deals.
Become a member of the Facebook group at and sign our online Make it the Minimum petition.
