The price is wrong
IT'S OFFICIAL: beer is cheaper than water in the off-trade.
It may be hard to fathom but in a time when certain circles of media and government would have us believe pubs are making binge-drinking monsters of us all, supermarkets are flogging beer for less than bottles of water.
It is a sign of how much value and margin has been stripped out of lager in the off-trade that smoothies, the new darling of soft drinks, are worth up to four times more per pint than top brand lagers like Carlsberg, Carling and Foster's.
And we even have the prospect of a pint of wine (obviously not something we are advising ever be served!) at £2 in the off-trade, costing less than a pint of beer in the on-trade.
These findings were taken from spot visits to Tesco in Leytonstone, East London, and Sainsbury's in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and their websites.
While certainly not a definitive survey it is a fascinating snapshot and gives a devastating insight into how cheap the off-trade alcohol market has become.
After all, this is not Christmas or the height of summer when beer is hugely discounted. This is about as expensive as alcohol will ever get in the off-trade.
What does it say about supermarkets' attitude to alcohol that they are happy to price it below smoothies, water and even own brand orange juice?
And surely the brewers of these beers are not happy to see their products being priced in this way. The situation is a mess and something has to be done about it.
Tesco
LAGER
Carlsberg - 75p/pint (24 cans 440ml) - £13.98 (18.5 pints)
Carling - 70p/pint (24 cans 440ml) - £12.98 (18.5 pints)
Foster's - 71p/pint (20 cans 440ml) - £10.99 (15.4 pints)
JUICES
Own brand smooth orange juice - 80p/pint £1.38/litre
Tropicana Orange - 93p/pint £1.49/litre
SMOOTHIES
Innocent mango and passion fruit smoothie - £4/pint (£1.74/250ml)
P&J Smoothies orange, mango and passion fruit - £1.60/pint (£2.79/litre)
WATER
San Pellegrino - 86p/pint (6 x 250ml) £2.29 (2.63 pints)
Badoit - 51p/pint (89p/litre)
WINE
Isla Negra Chilean chardonnay - £2.27/pint £2.99/75cl
Isla Negra Chilean cabernet - £2.27/pint £2.99/75cl Sainsbury
LAGER
Carlsberg - 87p/pint (24 bottles 275ml ) - £9.99 (11.5 pints)
Carling - 71p/pint (24 cans 440ml) - £13.19 (18.5 pints)
Foster's - 76p/pint (24 cans 440ml) - £13.99 (18.5 pints)
JUICES
Own brand fresh orange juice - 74p/pint £2.29/1.75 litre
Tropicana Orange - 91p/pint £1.62/litre
SMOOTHIES
Innocent mango and passion fruit smoothie - £4/pint (£1.75/250ml)
P&J Smoothies orange, mango and passion fruit - £1.60/pint (£2.79/litre)
WATER
San Pellegrino - 68p/pint (89p/750ml)
Volvic - 40p/pint (6 x 500ml) £2.09 (5.26 pints)
WINE
Les Fontenilles Bordeaux - £2/pint £2.64/75cl
Case of Jacob's Creek shiraz - £2.83/pint £22.74 (£3.79/btle)
Jacob's Creek chardonnay - £3/pint £3.97/75clBack our campaign
- We need your help to make Dump the Deals a success. Our first aim is to get as many MPs as possible to sign Early Day Motion 495 on supermarket price promotions
- Write to your MP and ask them to sign EDM 495. We need well over 100 signatures for the government to take notice of it. You can help
- Use The Publican as a resource.
If your time is short then why not log onto www.thepublican.com/dumpthedealsedm where you will find a sample letter to download and adapt as appropriate
- Send your letter to your MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A OAA
- Our second aim is to put together evidence on the negative effects of supermarket promotions to send to the Competition Commission in March. Please download a form from www.thepublican.com/dumpthedeals, complete it and email it to me at the address below.
Please email me at adamw@thepublican.com and tell me how supermarket pricing is affecting your business.
