Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) has come into force in Wales. As of today, retailers and any outlets serving alcohol must charge at least 50p per unit. As a result of this, a bottle of wine cannot be priced at less than £4.69.   A similar system was introduced in Scotland in May 2018 and the results of this are still being assessed. Under the Public…

The Labour Party has pledged to review the evidence on minimum unit pricing if it secures a majority in the upcoming general election. It delivered its manifesto today and promised to address alcohol-related health problems, while ramping up addiction support services. “Alcoholic drinks will be labelled with clear health warnings,” it said. “We will review the evidence on minimum pricing.” Scotland introduced MUP last year…

Wales has been forced to delay plans to introduce a minimum unit price of 50p on alcohol until at least 2020 after a challenge from Portugal. The Welsh government aims to follow in the footsteps of Scotland by introducing MUP in a bid to “reduce the devastation caused by alcohol harm”. Lawmakers in Scotland had to clear a number of obstacles and go through various…

Berkmann Wine Cellars will reveal its new pricing strategy for 2019 and it has announced it plans to freeze prices until March 2020, to protect customers from “potential Brexit fall out”. The importer will go live with new prices from March 18, 2019, which will be frozen until March 1, 2020. This pricing policy excludes any additional tariffs in the event of a No Deal…

The UK Supreme Court has given the Scotland the green light to introduce a minimum unit price of 50p following a five-year battle. Scottish parliament approved the measure in 2012 in a bid to curb Scotland’s “unhealthy relationship with drink”. The Scotch Whisky Association, backed by European trade associations, challenged the bill and it has been held up in the various courts ever since. The…

The public health lobby has called for off-licence hours to be cut to 10am-10pm, the reintroduction of the duty escalator, minimum unit pricing of 50p and tighter regulations on alcohol advertising. The justification for this fresh list of demands is a study it commissioned from Sheffield University, titled Alcohol and Cancer Trends. The modelling study was done in 2016 and argues that minimum unit pricing…

Wine could be the big winner if minimum unit pricing comes into force in Scotland, according to analysis from Nielsen. Years ago the he Scottish parliament imposed a 50p minimum unit price on alcohol but has been unable to implement it due to appeals from the industry. The European Court of Justice claims it breaches of EU so it looked on the ropes, but post-Brexit…