Britain's biggest supermarket is being accused of encouraging binge drinking by selling bottles of wine for just £1.11.Having read this in the office, I must have let my business head influence comprehension of the article.
Tesco has supported a Government crackdown on the sale of alcohol below cost price.
Yet its stores are selling a Bulgarian Chardonnay under the Silver Rock label for as little as £1.11 for a regular 75cl bottle.
Tesco defended the decision on the basis that the wine, which normally sells for £2.99, has been delisted from some stores and has been reduced to a rock bottom price to shift it.
You see, I could only read it from Tesco's side of the equation.
Imagine I'm Terry Leahy, OK? Not anywhere near as rich, but marginally less geeky looking. I've recently presided over a board decision to back minimum alcohol pricing (we discussed it over a £2 meal deal of any sarnie, crisps and a juice) as it benefits our business immensely. Government have knocked that idea on the head though. It's not that they don't like it, just that the other side thought of it first.
However, the other options could be equally advantageous and may even lead to super profits if the consultation exercise falls the right way for us. As we chomped on our salt and vinegar Walkers, we were discussing how wonderful it will be not to have to compete over economy alcohol pricing with other supermarkets. Especially now we occupy a position at the top of retail pile.
So it's important that MPs are regularly reminded that something very definitely needs to be done - as they scratch around working out exactly what that 'something' they should be doing, err, is.
A few garish tabloid articles should do the trick. Perhaps we could encourage such things by, say, offering one slow-selling line at a headline-grabbing price. Just for a few hours, at least.
Well, if I was a cunning Liverpudlian who was born and bred in a supermarket aisle, that's what I'd have done, anyway.
Out of curiosity, a trip to Tesco was in order on my way home. It took a while to find the offending bottle, mainly because I started by searching for ones labelled as 'price cut'. Still, I finally spotted the cheeky little number ... selling for £2.99.
Nice one Brer Tesco, job done.
