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Doctors' anger as stores slash price of drink
Anna Davis and Sophie Goodchild, Evening Standard13 Jun 2008
Supermarkets have been accused of fuelling binge drinking by slashing the price of alcohol.
Figures reveal that some top-selling drinks are more than 20 per cent cheaper than a year ago. The big drops come amid soaring food inflation, Budget tax rises and escalating home bills.
The price of supermarket staples such as bread, tinned food and meat is rising by seven per cent a year on average, according to market analysts.
Yet a snapshot survey by mysupermarket.co.uk of beer, wine and favourite "alcopops" shows prices have fallen dramatically over 12 months.
It compared current costs with those last June at four leading supermarkets - Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury's and Waitrose's online retail arm Ocado.
Eight out of 15 drinks at Sainsbury's are cheaper than a year ago, including Hardy's Stamp Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, the UK's best-selling wine. It costs £4.48 a bottle, down by over a quarter. Carlsberg lager, Smirnoff Ice and WKD Vodka Blue are also cheaper in all four stores than 12 months ago.
WKD accounts for nearly a quarter of all sales in the ready-to-drink market, while Carlsberg is the top alcohol brand with 495 million pints sold a year.
Doctors and anti-addiction charities today reacted with outrage to the findings. Dr Nick Sherin of the Royal College of Physicians said the majority of supermarket alcohol was sold to the heaviest drinkers. The Royal College accused supermarket chiefs of using alcohol to bribe shoppers and called on the Government to confront them.
This comes as ministers next Tuesday unveil yet another campaign to curb excessive drinking among 16- to 24-year-olds. Market analyst David Buick from BCG Partners said: "The only thing that has come down in price is alcohol and clothes. Socially this is unsatisfactory and a great tragedy. "
Alcohol Concern spokesman Frank Soodeen warned: 'As long as supermarkets are prepared to use cheap alcohol as a bribe, the rates of misuse and illness are going to continue to rise."
All four retailers denied prices were fuelling binge drinking.
Sainsbury's said the "vast majority" of examples in the report were short-term promotions. Tesco said most customers bought alcohol as part of a weekly shop. An Asda spokeswoman said its customers drank sensibly and it was a responsible retailer. Waitrose said it never sold alcohol below cost price and Ocado prices were different from those in-store.
Reader views (5)
Why don't they bring back prohibition? Then we'll have a new bootleg Mafia like they got in the States and this motley crowd from Nu Labour can sign up to another racketeering racket when we boot them all out of office in 2010.
- Mikko Takala, Drumnadrochit, Scotland, 14/06/2008 15:56
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The reason they have lowered prices is probably because the sales have fallen, because of caution over the economy fuel mortgages etc. It just shows how unethical supermarkets are, nothing we didn't know then. But people should exercise their own self control when drinking any way, you can't claim supermarkets are making people binge drink, sadly this is part of the culture in this country.
- Stephen Clarke, London, UK, 14/06/2008 12:01
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Prices in the UK are still quite high.
It would be more useful to examine WHY so many tend to abuse drink.
Ever seen Hogarth's "Gin Lane" engraving, where the message was really on why government kept booze so cheap - to keep the masses docile.
- Stan(Expat), USA, 14/06/2008 06:41
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The Goverment of Australia increased a very high tax on alcopops to try and stop young people binge drinking it did not stop them, they just changed drinks to a more dangerous drink, but cheaper.
You can't stop anyone doing what they want, only try to set an example and give help and advise.
- David Evans, Gold Coast Australia, 13/06/2008 14:57
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Let's face it, Supermarket profits depend on the NHS and the A&E departments of our hospitals being kept busy!
- Fraser, Telford Park, 13/06/2008 14:43
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