Supermarkets must be shamed

Related tags Parliamentary beer group John grogan Cheap booze Alcoholic beverage

I wish John Grogan well in his campaign to curb the giveaway prices for alcohol in supermarkets. The MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Beer Group...

I wish John Grogan well in his campaign to curb the giveaway prices for alcohol in supermarkets. The MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Beer Group has organised an early day motion in the House of Commons that criticises retailers who sell beer at such absurdly low prices that they encourage

over-consumption and hit the pub trade

dramatically.

Last week, at the Beer Group's Christmas party in the Houses of Parliament, Mr Grogan said supermarket prices for beer would be the major issue of 2007. Some may disagree and think the smoking ban is the number one issue facing the trade.

But, talking to brewers at the parliamentary event, I sensed that panic over the smoking ban is being replaced by cautious optimism. They are taking the long view and accept

that any immediate downturn in pub

business will be replaced by a new generation of customers, attracted to the pub as a result of its new smoke-free atmosphere.

But the supermarket issue is a here-and-now one. We know the problem - cases of beer

being sold at grotesquely low prices. There is no profit in it for the brewers, who see their beers being sold at prices only a fraction higher than it costs to make them. The profits are marginal for the retailers but when you are selling lakes and oceans of cheap booze the pennies quickly turn into pounds.

Why is it that the media pays so little

attention to this appalling state of affairs?

Every Daily Mail feature or TV programme on the problem of binge drinking blames the pub and the non-existent nonsense called "24-hour opening". I am not aware of any attacks on the supermarkets for fuelling drink habits with a supply of cheap booze.

The answer is twofold. One is advertising. The media - with the exception of the BBC - rakes in vast amounts of cash from supermarket advertising. Pubs don't advertise and are, therefore, a soft target for media attacks.

The second reason is that supermarkets employ smooth-talking executives who are well versed in talking up their business and deflecting the flak. The spokesman for Tesco in particular deserves the Oleaginous Bar Steward of the Year award for his ability to tell the world that his company has social

responsibility at the core of its business rather than a desire to keep Dame Shirley Porter in the comfort to which she is accustomed.

Some people argue that in a free market economy there is nothing that can be done to tackle the power of the giant retailers. Free market phooey! There is not much freedom in a situation where a handful of supermarkets use their muscle to drive smaller competitors out of business and screw suppliers for the cheapest possible prices. There is no shortage of horror stories of small producers gearing their entire production to meet the demands of supermarkets and then finding themselves in Carey Street when their contracts are abruptly terminated.

John Grogan will get no support from his own government. Tony Blair and his cronies are in love with the rich and the powerful and will shy away from the thought of taking on the supermarkets. What is needed is action by decent consumers.

Selling alcohol at giveaway prices fuels the problem of both binge drinking and underage drinking. Pubs do not encourage either

practice. The image of the British pub

portrayed in some sections of the media as dens of drunken and violent behaviour is an insult to the truth. Pubs exercise control. Most people who go to pubs do so for sociable reasons: to meet friends, enjoy a few drinks and perhaps eat a meal. They don't go to get drunk or to fight. Licensees who tolerate such behaviour lose their licences.

But there are no such restraints on the supermarkets. Once people have shopped they can pass on cheap alcohol to people who may be underage or who want it to fuel a drink problem. Again, the answer is twofold: to name and shame retailers guilty of selling cheap booze and to proclaim the genuine role of the pub from the rooftops. Stay out of the supermarket and go back to the pub.

www.beer-pages.com

Related topics Legislation

Property of the week

Follow us

Pub Trade Guides

View more