Friday, September 03, 2010

Is Tesco forward planning on minimum alcohol pricing?

Last weekend, I went to Calais again to buy a shedload of booze. Before you suggest that it's cheaper in the UK it isn't if you (a) know what you want and (b) plan it properly. There has been much talk of the "booze cruise" dying because of the price supermarkets in the UK charge, in fact, as recently as June the BBC reported on how Tesco was closing it's Calais operation.

It's certainly true that Tesco have closed their store in Cite Europe, but here's the interesting thing, you can still see inside and there remains a large amount of stock in there and a notice on the door says, and I paraphrase from memory, "whilst we're closed please use Carrefour". When Mrs D and I read this we got the distinct impression that Tesco Calais was merely taking a break.

This morning, the papers are reporting on the Scottish plans to intorduce minimum pricing for a unit of alcohol, 45p to be precise, and there is the usual talk of what happens in Scotland often follows in England, especially as this idea has been floating for some time. This got me wondering, is Tesco holding to its stock and store just inc ase the price control comes in England too?

Given, we've heard so much about how the "booze cruise" is dying. A minimum price on a unit of alcohol would simply give it a rebirth, wouldn't it?

No comments: