Tesco Adopt Challenge 25 Identification Policy

Fri, 27 Mar 2009
 
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Tesco will refuse to sell alcohol to anyone who looks under the age of 25, unless they can prove their age, after becoming the first company to be taken to court for persistently selling alcohol to under-age drinkers .

From May, staff at the UK’s biggest supermarket will ask shoppers who look under 25 to provide identification when they attempt to buy alcohol . Those without suitable ID will be turned away.

The clampdown comes after Tesco was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £250 costs after admitting to selling booze to under-18s on more than three occasions within a month at an Express store in Blackpool. An order to suspend the store's licence for 28 days was put on hold pending an appeal.

The landmark case marks the first time a company rather than an employee has been prosecuted under the Violent Crime Reduction Act .

As a result of the prosecution, Tesco has adopted the "Challenge 25" retail industry initiative, meaning employees at all 2,184 UK stores will have to raise ID checks to people who look under 25.

Under the rules of the policy, individual shopkeepers or check-out staff can be prosecuted and fined if they sell alcohol to anyone under the legal age of 18.

Tesco’s lawyer, Paddy Whur said: "This is the first prosecution of its type. The company has operated a Challenge 21 policy but now as a result of this prosecution from May Tesco will roll out a Challenge 25 policy nationally."

Asda and Morrisons have both introduced the Challenge 25 policy over the last twelve months in an attempt to eradicate underage sales, while Sainsburys is due to raise the bar later this year.

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