Crackdown on rogue promos
Portman begins tough clampdown, and BBPA to announce banned' list by John Harrington The Portman Group has begun a rigorous crackdown on rogue pub promotions. Any promotion in a pub organised by a drinks company that involves drinkers buying more than two pints of beer or four spirit measures risks being condemned as irresponsible by the drinks watchdog. The crackdown by Portman, which is surprisingly stringent, will be followed in a few weeks time by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) which will issue "a long list"of promotions that pubs should not run. Spokesman Mark Hastings said: "There will be far greater clarity on the the type of promotions that are illegitimate it's quite a long list." The new BBPA guidelines will be issued to local authorities as a set of standards they can make reference to on whether pub promotions are responsible. Portman's new guidance sets a surprisingly low threshold for what it views as an irresponsible promotion. Chief executive Jean Coussins said: "On-trade promotions are a legitimate marketing tactic but producers must design their promotions with care. "The Code of Practice has a rule forbidding promotions which encourage immoderate consumption, and this guidance clarifies for the first time what that means." Suppliers have been quick to back the Portman's guidance. A Scottish Courage spokesman said: "It is vital that the industry is able to regulate itself and we will be integrating the latest set of proposals into our strategy." A statement from Bacardi-Martini said: "Setting guidelines helps our kind of business to create regular drinking rather than focused drinking." It added: "These guidelines will not affect us as we pre-clear all our promotional activity with the Portman Group before releasing externally." But Chris Bulaitis, MD of the Dogma bar chain, expressed scepticism about the guidance. He said he appreciates the need to deal with excessive alcohol consumption, but added: "I don't think [binge drinking] is just related to promotions. "This is a social problem. There are plenty of responsible drinkers out there who would be punished by this." He added: "Any ruling that affects citizens' rights to do what they want smacks of draconianism." And Barry Shingler, vice chairman of the Licensed Victuallers Trade Association in the west and licensee of Marshalls in Barnstaple, North Devon, said stopping multiple purchases might not stop binge drinkers. "It would be very difficult to tell if it is a group of people drinking or just one person trying to get smashed," he said. Shingler also said the voluntary code would be hard to police. l Leader column p16 Portman advice on drinks offers The Portman Group advises drinks producers to:
Avoid running offers in pubs that involve ordering more than one drink to participate. For example: buy three pints for the price of two; buy five bottles and get a free gift.
Avoid encouraging "round-buying", where everyone in the group is expected to make at least one trip to the bar.
Run promotions over days or weeks so consumers don't buy too much alcohol in one night.
Avoid any promotion requiring the purchase of more than four units of alcohol the equivalent of two pints or four single measures of alcohol.
Make clear that any offers involving large volumes of alcohol are aimed at groups, not just one drinker.
