Tesco has announced that it wants to discuss the idea of a new legislation to guarantee that alcoholic beverages are consumed responsibly. Launching itself and the government onto the front pages of newspapers, Tesco are beckoning ministers to initiate the introduction of higher taxes on alcohol.
The ethics behind this move seem a responsible approach by the company. But again it’s the ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario… isn’t it the supermarket chains faults that alcohol prices are so low in the first place, as they use alcohol promotions and cheap booze to lure customers through their doors? Perhaps if they weren’t so caught up in winning the gold price in the ‘checkout’ war, then perhaps we would not be in this situation in the first place.
Sir Terry Leahy has already spoken to Gordon Brown and assured them they would receive Tesco’s full cooperation, in their plight to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour on the nations streets. However, Tesco have said they are not prepared to stand alone on the matter without the backing of other supermarkets, ‘to avoid retailers falling foul of competition legislation which prevents discussion of prices between businesses.’ http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=A0B5BACF8D334659BDD568A44B8DD27E
Tesco argue that them alone increasing the price of alcoholic beverages would not end the binge drinking culture as customers will just go elsewhere to purchase the products. Indeed this could be seen as a fair point.
As a company Tesco already have a ‘Think 21’ policy in place, which requires individuals who appear to be under the age of 21 to produce identification proving they are legally obliged to buy alcohol. They have also joined in partnership with Diageo, a consumer goods company designed to advise consumers about responsible drinking, and compliment the governments ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign.
Having visited the Diageo website (http://www.diageo.com/en-row/homepage.htm) whilst conducting research for this blog, I found it to be dull and lacking in the desired information.
So, to what level are Tesco really prepared to go without the backing of their competition. Will Tesco’s ethical approach prove a transparent illusion when faced with the choice of moral high ground or financial profit, or could the chain pleasantly surprise?
The ethics behind this move seem a responsible approach by the company. But again it’s the ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario… isn’t it the supermarket chains faults that alcohol prices are so low in the first place, as they use alcohol promotions and cheap booze to lure customers through their doors? Perhaps if they weren’t so caught up in winning the gold price in the ‘checkout’ war, then perhaps we would not be in this situation in the first place.
Sir Terry Leahy has already spoken to Gordon Brown and assured them they would receive Tesco’s full cooperation, in their plight to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour on the nations streets. However, Tesco have said they are not prepared to stand alone on the matter without the backing of other supermarkets, ‘to avoid retailers falling foul of competition legislation which prevents discussion of prices between businesses.’ http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=A0B5BACF8D334659BDD568A44B8DD27E
Tesco argue that them alone increasing the price of alcoholic beverages would not end the binge drinking culture as customers will just go elsewhere to purchase the products. Indeed this could be seen as a fair point.
As a company Tesco already have a ‘Think 21’ policy in place, which requires individuals who appear to be under the age of 21 to produce identification proving they are legally obliged to buy alcohol. They have also joined in partnership with Diageo, a consumer goods company designed to advise consumers about responsible drinking, and compliment the governments ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign.
Having visited the Diageo website (http://www.diageo.com/en-row/homepage.htm) whilst conducting research for this blog, I found it to be dull and lacking in the desired information.
So, to what level are Tesco really prepared to go without the backing of their competition. Will Tesco’s ethical approach prove a transparent illusion when faced with the choice of moral high ground or financial profit, or could the chain pleasantly surprise?
