Trade leaders blast cheap booze deals
Morrisons is offering three cases for £20 on a range of beers and ciders, including 20x440ml packs of Carlsberg, Carling, Strongbow and John Smith’s Extra Smooth.
Asda is offering £7 per crate on Carling, Carlsberg or Strongbow, equating to 45p per pint for a pack of 20x440ml and is also offering 70cl Baileys for £7 each.
Tesco has been selling a crate of Strongbow, Carling, Stella Artois or Becks for as little as £10. This equates to 64.5p per pint for a pack of 20x440ml Carling or Strongbow.
Steve Haslam, of TLC Inns, which has six pubs, said: “I have one word for this: irresponsible. I don’t think it will affect my trade because the pubs appeal to a premium market. The Government will never ever stop them doing it.
“Unless someone with big enough balls goes to the groups with it, it will continue to cost the NHS millions and millions.”
Cheryl Hickman, of the Olde Bull Inn in Barton Mills, Suffolk, added: “Our culture and community spirit is being taken away by supermarkets who sell alcohol on crazy loss-leader deals just to get people into the shop.
“The Government blames licensees for serving drunk people and their irresponsible behaviour when leaving premises when many of these people are drunk on cheap supermarket booze before they even get to us.”
Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Nick Bish said: “Deep discounting does no favours for those trying to make the case for responsible sales.”
