MUP breached in recent symbol group promotions

Retailers in Scotland have been warned to check advertising material sent by suppliers or wholesalers after some was found to breach minimum unit pricing (MUP) levels.

Better Retailing analysed the promotions from 22 symbol groups and supermarkets over the last two months. Of the advertised promotions, Nisa and Aldi had both accidentally included lines at prices below the legal requirement of 50p per unit of alcohol. Introduced in May last year, MUP was designed to help tackle binge drinking in Scotland, a similar policy is planned for Wales ‘in early 2020.’

In July, Nisa had advertised a 10-pack of Magners across in-store radio and promotional leaflets at £8. The pricing should have been at least £9.90 under MUP. Similarly, an Aldi advertisement on television advertising the supermarket’s own-brand Galahad Lager at £6.39, Strongbow at £6.99 and Corona at £11.99 also breached the legislation. Pricing for each product should have respectively been at least £10.56, £11 and £13.37.

An Advertising Standards Agency spokesperson told Better Retailing that responsibility lies with the symbol group. “In general terms, advertisers are advised to arrange their media schedule in a way that prevents advertisements for alcoholic drink promotions from appearing in Scotland.”

“If the parent group is providing the marketing materials for a business owner, it’s likely that we’d undertake any subsequent investigation, if there were grounds for one, into the parent company. Though it’s worth adding that the business itself would also be named in any published ruling.”

The spokesperson advised store owners to seek legal advice to ensure alcohol adverts don’t breach MUP guidelines.

A Nisa spokespersons said the non-compliant promotion was removed from its in-store radio within an hour of the issue being raised: “An image meant only for use in leaflets outside of Scotland was included in error on a Scottish consumer leaflet and the instore radio. Further checks have now been put in place to minimise the risk of future issues.”