Licensee takes on supermarket giants
A determined Scottish licensee is taking on three supermarket giants in a bid to prove their cut-price alcohol deals fall foul of the new licensing regime.
Jeff Ellis, of the Bear Tavern, in Newburgh, Fife, has failed in an initial bid to force a licence review of branches of Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op.
But he has vowed to make another attempt to get his local council to act.
His argument is based on the claim the stores' discount deals fail to "protect and improve" public health - an objective of the Scottish Licensing Act.
He was inspired to act after seeing four bottles of lager being sold for £1 in his local Morrisons.
Ellis, a former London-based corporate banker, told The Publican: "The bulk of the on-trade and the off-trade are playing the game, the supermarkets aren't - and they now account for the majority of alcohol sales in this country."
His original letter to the council said "professionalism" within the on-trade had "never been higher".
It added: "It therefore makes no sense at all for drinking to be encouraged to be moved behind closed doors where it cannot be policed at a time when the on-trade has never been better equipped to monitor and control alcohol consumption".
The letter was also copied to senior Scottish ministers including Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Morrisons and the Co-op have both defended their deals on alcohol saying they are "responsible retailers" offering good value.
Tesco declined to comment.
