Supermarket chain Tesco says it wants to see curbs on the sale of cheap alcohol during this Parliament.



Tesco has welcomed a promise by the coalition government to ban below-cost sales of alcohol in England and Wales.

The UK's biggest retailer goes further, saying it would back the more radical step of introducing a minimum price.

Tesco says polling for the company found excessive drinking and the anti-social behaviour it causes is one of the public's most serious concerns.

Significant discounts

The idea of a minimum price is already being considered by the Scottish Parliament.

During the World Cup, most retailers - including Tesco - are expected to offer significant discounts on alcohol.

In an exclusive BBC interview, Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco's director for corporate affairs, says in the absence of government action they have to compete on price.

"As a result there is lots of cheap alcohol, so we thought let's ask the government to look at should there be a minimum price for alcohol, or should there be a ban on low-cost selling.

"Could it be justified because it will deal with the problem at the lower end?"

The coalition government has said it will ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.

Cultural issue

It is not clear how that would be done as retailers would be reluctant to reveal commercially sensitive details of deals with suppliers.

One option might be to set a nominal price for each type of alcohol, then add the cost of VAT and duty to reach a total.

It is an option which falls short of the minimum price which the British Medical Association and many other health charities and doctors' organisations have been championing.

Even the proposals for a ban on below-cost sales and a review of price and taxation have been attacked by other retailers.