Before Christmas a Camra survey found that Sainsbury’s was selling Carling for 54p a pint (£9.99 for 24x44cl cans), while bottled water cost 49p a pint. Without tax, the beer cost just 16p. Camra also found that Morrisons sold Grolsch for 76p a pint (£16 for 40x30cl) and Tesco sold Budweiser at 95p a pint (£9.98 for 20x30cl). The group has tabled an early day…

The Scottish & Newcastle UK brand is running a competition to train as an amateur rider before saddling up for a six-furlong flat race at Aintree on April 14. A panel of experts will select 10 apprentice riders who will compete for a share of a £100,000 charity fund. The competition will run in the Daily Mirror, Daily Record, Ladbrokes betting shops and…

The duo will head up the Oddbins buying team in the absence of head buyer Emma Nichols, who takes maternity leave in March for an expected six months. Buckley has responsibility for the Americas, Portugal, the Rhône, Alsace and Burgundy as well as beer, tobacco and sundries. Illingworth is in charge of buying for Bordeaux, Beaujolais, the Loire, regional France, central Europe, South Africa and…

Trade and Industry secretary Alistair Darling announced on Jan 9 that employers could be fined £200 for every worker they had underpaid. He said: “Workers have the right to a decent minimum wage and we are determined they get it. To those employers avoiding the minimum wage the message is: don’t pay it and you’ll pay the fine.” Employers already have to pay back arrears…

“I had Christmas Day off, but I was working Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and the days in between. I was actually open more than usual because it’s such a busy time. It’s the harvest of the drinks industry – farmers work hard in the summer and off-licences work hard in the winter. But I did have New Year’s Day off, and I certainly made…

Police have come up with a novel way of getting rid of confiscated drink – handing it out to pensioners in gift hampers. Lager, cider, wine and RTDs taken from under-age drinkers were boxed up and shared out among the elderly residents of Kirkham, Lancashire, before Christmas. Police community support officer Annette Begg, who was in charge of distributing the goodies, said she hoped the…

Nobody gives a toss,” says independent wine merchant Noel Young. “I mean, there isn’t any interest. They’re not on the radar screen.” Young is referring to the wines of ­Washington state, including a handful of brands that he added to his list last year. “But I don’t want to sound all doom and gloom,” he says. “There are very good wines produced in the Pacific…