Shops and supermarkets take strong drinks off shelves

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Shops and supermarkets take strong drinks off shelves
Source – The Independent on Sunday
Date – 24th February 2008

Not many people will lament the loss of some of the brands mentioned in this report and being targeted in the trials. Cheap, high alcohol by volume drinks have been around for decades and being seen with a can of special brew is far from a status symbol, but we have to ask ourselves if this is really the answer to the problem or rather a step in the right direction or a worrying step in the direction of restrictions and prohibition.

Most people will agree that taking brands off the shelves will simply open the market to other brands and in an industry where branding is so important, brands come and go sometimes before even all the premises in the licensed retail sector have had a chance to stock them. But the message this sends can be a positive one if that is the intention. Most of us will agree that in reality the average Special Brew drinker will probably find an alternate drink to purchase rather than leaving Tesco empty handed and reformed.

Responsible Alcohol Retailing is an important part of the licensed retail sectors responsibility and one that if every retailer can strive for, will go some way to raising the positive profile of a sector that the government, local authorities and others seem to conveniently use to direct blame onto. Being seen to be responsible is just as important as actually being responsible and effective staff training in courses as wide ranging as the BIIAB National Certificate for Personal License Holders (NCPLH) or the BIIAB Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) can go a lot further then restricting brands will. How many pubs actually boast about stocking Tennent’s Extra as a marketing tool and how many of those that do are really reaching their true potential.


Responsible Alcohol Retailing is still seen by some within the licensed retail sector as a restriction rather than an opportunity, but the reality is that those who embrace it normally come out on top financially, as well as personally through a much more positive working environment they create.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk