The Scottish government is preparing to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol in a bid to improve the nation’s health – a policy that some retailers believe is misguided.
The latest attempt to impose a minimum price, which would be per unit of alcohol, follows the failure of a similar proposal during the last parliament.
However the victory of the SNP in the May elections has prompted the Scottish administration to try again.
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon is anticipated to outline the plan during a visit to a Glasgow hospital.
An exact figure per unit is not likely to emerge until the New Year. Last time around it was proposed that the minimum price should be 45p per unit.
Many retailers believe alcohol problems would be better dealt with in other ways and support initiatives such as Drinkaware and Challenge 25. They maintain that minimum pricing penalises responsible drinkers by increasing the cost.
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