How amazon plans to sell us bargain booze ... delivered to your door in just 2 hours
Company on collision course with SNP over minimum pricing
‘There must be strict checks in place’
AMAZON wants to start selling alcohol in Scotland in a move which could put the internet giant on a collision course with the Scottish Government.
The online retailer has applied for permission to sell beer, wine and spirits from its two giant warehouses north of the Border.
The company already sells alcohol online – including cut-price deals – with orders sent to customers in Scotland from English depots.
But if Amazon is allowed to sell drink from its warehouses in Fife and Renfrewshire, it is likely that Scots would, for the first time, be able to take advantage of the company’s same-day or two-hour delivery services for alcohol.
The company also has plans to develop a drone service to deliver some products.
Last night campaigners warned that the move by Amazon – which has previously been criticised for failing to prevent children buying dangerous items such as knives – could allow underage drinkers to circumvent licensing laws.
Amazon’s plans to increase its sales of drink in Scotland could put the multi-national company at odds with the Government, which intends to outlaw the sale of cheap booze by imposing a minimum price per alcohol unit.
Amazon declined to comment or answer questions on minimum pricing, or what age controls would be put in place to stop alcoholic drinks being bought by children posing as adults. But doctors and health campaigners sounded warnings about the move.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: ‘There is no shortage of places to buy alcohol in Scotland, and online alcohol sales are making it even easier for people to drink at home.
‘Online sellers of alcohol must be closely monitored to ensure they are fully complying with licensing laws and policies.
‘In particular, there must be strict age verification checks in place to make sure under-18s cannot buy or take delivery of alcohol.
‘The more alcohol is available, the more health and social problems we experience.
‘In the next phase of its alcohol strategy, the Scottish Government must set out plans to make alcohol less accessible.’
Jill Vickerman, national director of British Medical Association Scotland, said: ‘It is well established that easy availability is one of the major drivers of alcohol harm, so moves like this that could saturate the market even further are a real source of concern.
‘Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol carries with it a real human cost in lives lost and health damaged, to say nothing of the wider impact on families.’
Miss Vickerman added: ‘It is also unclear how online alcohol retailers can reliably prevent purchases from those under the legal age.
‘It is important that the progress that has been made in reducing under-age drinking is not lost by making access to alcohol far easier than it currently is.’
At present, Amazon’s website sells beer, wine and whisky for far less than the planned 50p per unit minimum price proposed by the Scottish Government. Alcohol sold to customers in Scotland is shipped from centres in England.
At the click of a mouse, a bottle of red wine can be bought for £3.21, 20 cans of Foster’s Lager for £12, or a bottle of Teacher’s whisky for £8.26. Under minimum pricing, a cheap bottle of wine would cost about £5, 20 cans of medium-strength lager would be £20, and the cheapest 70cl bottle of whisky would cost £14. There are already questions about how effective online retailers, including Amazon, are in restricting under-age sales.
The teenager who last year fatally stabbed fellow 16-year-old schoolboy Bailey Gwynne at Cults Academy in Aberdeen lied about his age to buy the knife on Amazon.
Amazon’s website says it requires a signature and proof of age upon collection, but the killer got round the rules by having the illegal blade delivered to a garden shed.
The company already has an uneasy relationship with government. Like many other large multi-nationals, it has faced questions over tax, with only £11.9 million paid to the Exchequer on £5.3billion of UK sales.
June Barrie, managing solicitor for planning and licensing at Fife Council, said: ‘An application for a provisional premises licence has been submitted by Amazon UK Services Limited for their premises in Dunfermline. It is for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises between 10am and 10pm, Monday to Sunday.
‘The application states that the premises will process orders received remotely and there will be no public access to the premises.
‘The application is likely to be considered by the licensing board at its meeting on December 12.
‘It will be a decision for the board whether it is granted or not. If a licence is granted, then it will be subject to the mandatory conditions imposed by the legislation and to any other conditions which the board deem necessary.’
A spokesman for Inverclyde Council confirmed that Amazon had also applied to sell drink from its warehouse in Gourock, Renfrewshire. He said: ‘Amazon have applied for a licence to sell alcohol. It is currently being advertised and people have until November 14 to lodge objections.
‘The matter will be considered by the council’s General Purposes Board on Thursday, December 1.’