Aldi warned over cut-price drink promotion
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Aldi has provoked anger from alcohol campaigners with the launch of a promotion offering brands such a Stella Artois beer and Single Estate wine at half price or lower.
The discount retailer launched ‘The Big Deal’ promotional campaign last week after its recent growth spurt was seen to be slowing in the face of price promotions from rivals such as Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
The promotion will cover different products each month. This month it also offers brands such as Bramwell’s salad dressing and several private label products at half price or under.
The Alcohol Health Alliance, a coalition of organisations including charity Alcohol Concern and the Royal College of Physicians, has called for the current review of advertising rules to ban price based promotion of alcohol.
“Understandably in the current economic climate businesses need to be competitive and people are worried by living costs. However, alcohol is not an ordinary commodity like bread or milk,” says Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker.
“Alcohol causes harm to the nation’s health and economy and there appears to be a strong link between cheap alcohol and the high levels of binge drinking in the UK, ” he adds.
A spokesman for Aldi says the supermarket promotes responsible drinking.
Readers' comments (2)
craigwilde.blogspot.com | Mon, 6 Jul 2009 1:10 pm
The Licensed Leisure industry, increasingly regulated - yet blamed for the binge drinking phenomenon has repeatedly called for the cessation of these crazy alcohol price promotions.
Why not a ban on price promotions for licensed products - or the banning of loss leader promotions on alcohol?
From my many drinks industry contacts - it is apparent that some of the larger retailers are regularly selling alcohol at less than they actually buy it wholesale - as a direct attempt to lure customers.
The damage here is threefold, the brand's value is diminished - being seen by consumers as 'Cheap', the consumers are encourage to binge drink and then finally the poor bar and club operators get further legislated against as a result.
Supermarkets need brought into line...
A consumer can pop out at 11pm and 1.5ltrs of Premium Brand Vodka for less than £20 in the supermarket and get blind drunk. Then go out and cause a nuisance... But it is the Bars that get the legislation - where is the control for supermarkets?
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Anonymous | Mon, 6 Jul 2009 5:43 pm
Having worked in the on-trade for a number of years I was sickened at the extent that the pub business was penalised for binge drinking when it's the major supermarkets that were at fault. High profile dicounting of leading brands made pubs less competitive and created problems on the streets for police and health service to clean up. People would return to pubs if drink was cheaper there and more expensive in the supermarket - and I believe you'd see a drop in anti-social behaviour because drinkers would not be drunk before they go out - pubs (in general) promote responsible drinking and, assuming they don't run ridiculous drink promos - will continue to do so if supermarkets are kept in line....
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