Supplementary memorandum by Tesco (AL
63A)
During my recent oral evidence to the Committee,
Members requested some additional information on our customer
research and on alcohol advertising.
In terms of our advertising spend on alcohol,
over the last year this was around £7 million, although
this figure includes advertising for food and alcohol together
(such as meal deals) and is therefore slightly inflated.
The Committee sought to compare this figure
with our contribution to social marketing campaigns such as The
Drinkaware Trust, and from that draw some conclusion about our
level of commitment to tackling problem drinking. As I said during
the session, I do not think this comparison is a meaningful one.
Our direct financial contribution to The Drinkaware Trust, which
is £75,000 this year, is just one part of our overall
commitment to playing our part. In addition to the funding we
provide the Trust, our Marketing Director sits on its Board and
we support its work through in-kind contributions, such as our
support at point of sale of its "Know Your Drinks" campaign.
Beyond this we have led the way in labelling our products and
promoting responsible drinking messages to our customers, have
been active players in the development and roll-out of the Community
Alcohol Partnership approach, take a rigorous approach to underage
sales and are rolling out Think 25 this month, are key supporters
of the new Campaign for Smarter Drinking (to which we are contributing
£80,000 this year), and have shown ourselves willing
to play a constructive part in government-led discussions on price
and promotions.
I hope this additional information is useful.
I wish you well with the remainder of your inquiry and look forward
to seeing the final report.
David North
Community and Government Director
22 May 2009
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