MPs are demanding new curbs on the advertising of cheap alcohol to try and restrict the amount of binge drinking that happens in the UK. The Home Office recently announced a new minimum price under which alcohol can no longer be sold for less than the rate of duty plus VAT on it. However some MPs have cited these plans as “too little, too late”.
The new laws could affect retail marketing through the decrease in the number of in-store cheap price promotions on alcohol products. Many alcohol brands use point of sale display stands when running promotions to make their products stand out from the crowd. Price-led messages on point of purchase displays have become more common since the recession and the increase in retail vouchers and offers, but it looks as though some brands may have to re-think their strategies with the increased pressure from the Government.
However the Home Office has admitted that they have no plans to curb ad campaigns for cheap drinks or demand changes to the ad industry’s code of practice. But with Eighteen MPs urging the drinks industry to end “price-led mass-media advertising” and insisting the recent Home Office changes will not be their “last word” on the drinks issue, who knows what the future could hold. Watch this space!