Asda Manager Criticised For Rejecting Plans For Minimum Alcohol Pricing

Fri, 24 Oct 2008
 
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An Asda chief has come under fire for stating that the retailer will not support proposals for minimum alcohol pricing to be adopted by supermarkets .

In response to a recent Asda survey of consumers on the matter, Asda public affairs manager Guy Mason said the idea of minimum pricing on alcohol is not what consumers want as shoppers are already struggling to cope with a rise in food bills .

Commenting on the minimum pricing, Mason said: "We are driven by our customers and they tell us what they want. We wouldn't welcome legislation on minimum pricing because our customers wouldn't welcome it either."

"We are being asked to punish 80 per cent of our customers to try to help the 20 per cent who do abuse alcohol and we don't think that's right," he added.

Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said that Asda has a responsibility to ensure cheap drink is not available at extremely cheap prices to consumers that are "vulnerable to alcohol misuse ".

"To prevent this we need to look at a strategy for minimum pricing to end irresponsible deep discounting," he said.

Politicians were also criticised this week for plans to introduce alcohol-only checkouts in supermarkets . The Wine and Spirit Trade Association described the proposal as an "inconvenience".

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