Pubs step up pressure over supermarket alcohol

Pub operators have stepped up the pressure on the Government to take action against supermarkets selling cheap booze.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has written to ministers urging them to take action against multiple grocers they claim are fuelling alcohol-related problems with cheap promotions. They are also planning to write to Prime Minister Gordon
Brown, following his remarks at the Labour Party conference promising to crack
down on irresponsible retailers over underage sales. The ALMR wants a ban on
supermarkets selling booze as a loss leader, curbs on the way special offers
are promoted in-store, and a ban on single-unit sales of ready-to-drink
products.