Katie Mackie: 'We need to have a common approach across the UK'

WE'VE always supported a ban on below-cost selling. We believe that supermarkets shouldn't sell alcohol at below cost price, so this decision by Asda has got to be welcomed.

We're not aware of any convenience stores that sell alcohol below cost.

In the past we've always suggested that this approach is the best way to go about dealing with issues surrounding alcohol prices.

Our view is that a ban on selling below-cost alcohol would be a much less intrusive approach than minimum pricing.

We've always been concerned about minimum pricing because we don't know what the price will be. Also we've had concerns about cross border and internet sales of alcohol that might go on if we had minimum pricing.

A UK-wide solution is also something that we're in favour of and the Asda proposals seems to be that type of approach. We need to have a common approach across the UK, so that we don't have that much of a problem with issues like cross-border sales.

A really important thing that we need is for the Scottish and UK governments to work with industry to make any scheme to tackle alcohol abuse works.

There needs to be constant dialogue so that we get the right policies in places for this issue and can come to some sort of solution.

Minimum prices probably wouldn't affect small shops badly, but we still believe the approach of not selling at below cost is the best one.

The policy of minimum prices might have some affect on sales for supermarkets, but it's hard to say really when we don't know what level the Scottish Government would set the price at.

One of the main issues we have with the minimum pricing policy is that it's such a blanket approach, whereas we really need something that's more targeted and more effective.

We'd like the Scottish Government to look seriously at a ban on below-costs sales as a key measure in dealing with alcohol abuse in Scotland.

Tesco has said it supports minimum pricing, but I've not heard of any other big supermarket that does.

There seems to be more support in the retail industry for the approach Asda is taking. Hopefully we'll see a real debate on these issues during the next few months as alcohol abuse is an issue that does need to be tackled at all levels.

As an organisation we try to take a balanced approach and listen to the views of others, whether they are our members, supermarket representatives or the Scottish and UK governments.

l Katie Mackie is a public affairs adviser to the Scottish Grocers Federation