'Grossly irresponsible': 99p Stores plans to sell alcohol for under ?1One of Britain's fastest-growing supermarket chains was condemned yesterday after announcing plans to sell wine, cider and alcopops for just 99p a bottle.
Alcohol charities and doctors' leaders said the plans by budget chain 99p Stores were 'grossly irresponsible' and would serve only to fuel binge drinking, alcoholism and disorder on the streets.
The discount retailer operates 129 stores throughout the UK, selling groceries, toys and household goods, and plans to almost quadruple that number over the next four years. It is applying for alcohol licences for its outlets which, if granted, will also see it offering multipacks of beer for less than a pound.
At 99p, a bottle of wine will be less than half the price of the next cheapest regular supermarket offer, a Lambrusco Emilia Rosso at Asda for ?2.08.
The cheapest 700ml bottle of alcopop at Asda is a Spirit Blue Twist for ?1.42, while from today, Tesco will be offering 20 cans of Stella Artois lager for ?17.23.
In pubs, the average pint of lager or cider is ?2.68, with wine and alcopops usually considerably more. Yesterday, Don Shenker, chief executive of campaign group Alcohol Concern, said: 'The last thing the police want is more alcohol-related trouble to deal with, and allowing this would only make the problem worse.'
Sir Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, told The People newspaper: 'About 1.5million people in Britain are addicted to alcohol and they will gravitate towards these stores to fuel their habit. 'The move to market drink in small, cheap packages is grossly irresponsible.'
News of the plan comes a fortnight after the Government's health watchdog called for a minimum price to be set on alcohol.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence also recommended a crackdown on the amount of alcohol holidaymakers and 'booze cruisers' can import and a possible advertising ban.
Some supermarkets have sold beer for the equivalent of as little as 17p a pint - less than the price of bottled water or milk.
A spokesman for 99p Stores said it will be able to sell alcohol at such a low price permanently by sourcing obscure foreign brands or bottles nearing their sell-by dates.
Hussein Lalani, the firm's commercial director, said it was offering people 'what they want and responding to customer feedback'.
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