Focusing on less, but better

The headlines this last week have made pretty depressing reading for anyone who likes alcohol, or who likes selling it. Media reactions to the Government's new alcohol strategy suggested we are firmly in the grip of a booze epidemic. Middle-class wine drinkers, in particular, must have felt as they cracked open a bottle over dinner that they were only a glass or two away from being served an Asbo.

But, once again, the national media got it wrong. What is it about them and drink? One sniff of a cork and their eyes glaze over and the knee-jerk reaction kicks in. For the truth is that the strategy we saw laid out last week is actually a very grown-up approach to this most complicated of subjects.

And the great thing from the trade's point of view is they've got the thumbs-up from Government.

Three years on from the first Government alcohol strategy report, the politicians have acknowledged all the hard work and discipline, not to mention the pain, that the trade has gone through to get its house in order. On issues such as drinks promotions, codes of conduct and underage drinking, the pub sector has proved it can do as it was asked. There's work to do on kicking out the last of the kids, and serving drunks happens too often for anyone to feel totally comfortable. But basically Government is saying Keep Up The Good Work.

Not so the off-trade. At last, it has been drawn into the social disorder/alcohol debate and is now firmly in politicians' sights. A review into the relationship between "deep discounting" (which just doesn't happen in the on trade these days) and "harmful drinking" is to be carried out next year.

This means supermarkets will have to justify their arrogance in claiming nothing they do has any impact on disorder around the country.

It's a real triumph for the British Beer and Pub Association that the focus has now switched to the off-trade, and they deserve our congratulations.

So, too, do MA readers who've supported our campaign to keep glasses, where polycarbonate can't be justified.

So, some real results for the trade. But there's also a feeling that we're reaching the end of an era for the alcohol industry. Volume drinking is dying. Increasingly, pub customers are not interested in knocking back their booze.

The message for retailers and suppliers is that the focus must switch to "Less, but better." And on that basis, less booze can actually mean more profit.