Supermarket booze ban needed - HANZ

3:00 PM Monday Mar 7, 2011

Supermarkets are driving binge drinking with aggressive pricing and should be banned from selling alcohol, the Hospitality Association says.

In a submission on the Alcohol Reform Bill today, the association said supermarkets had dramatically increased their market share of alcohol sales, which had led to a shift in where New Zealanders drink and more people binge drinking.
Retail sales through supermarkets have doubled from about $8 million to almost $16 million in the past decade, while sales at bars and restaurants were either flat or growth was limited.
The association said the negative impacts of past alcohol reform could be firmly sourced with the availability of cheap alcohol from supermarkets, which had increased the availability of alcohol to youths.
Supermarkets were also driving binge drinking by using alcohol as a "loss leader", where it was sold below cost to attract shoppers.
"There is a strong case for removing all alcohol from supermarkets and grocery stores," the association said in its submission to Parliament's justice and electoral select committee today.
"Unless Parliament addresses the issue of the sale of alcohol from supermarkets ... then the worst features of New Zealand's alcohol consumption will continue unabated."
The association said off-licence sales of alcohol should be restricted to specialist liquor stores or over the counter on-licences, where staff were specifically trained to sell alcohol.
It also called for a minimum price for alcohol.