Calculate the Minimum Unit Price
To calculate the Minimum Unit Price of alcohol products you sell, the below formula should have been used:
50p x strength of alcoholic drink (ABV) x volume of alcoholic drink (L) x 100
Retailers should not have calculated the Minimum Unit Price by multiplying 50p with the number of the units labelled on the alcohol product as this may be below the Minimum Unit Price and breach the regulations. Where the calculated price is not a full penny, retailers should have rounded this up to the nearest whole number
Multipacks
When calculating the Minimum Unit Price for multi-packs of alcohol, retailers should have calculated the price per unit then scale up, using the formula below:
50p x strength of alcoholic drink (ABV) x volume of alcoholic drink (L) x number of products in multipack x 100
Step 3 – Amend Prices of Affected Products
- Update central EPoS (if you have one)
- Update shelf labelling
Retailers should have updated shelf labelling to reflect the new price of alcohol products affected by Minimum Unit Pricing.
Retailers should not have updated the price on price marked packs. It is illegal for retailers to sell a price marked pack above the price advertised on the product under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
- Update any promotional leaflets or posters
When updating the pricing of alcohol in promotional leaflets and posters, retailers should have also ensured that their multi-buy in-store promotions, such as “meal deals” and discount vouchers comply with Minimum Unit Pricing.
Multi-Buy Promotions
If alcohol is part of a promotion with other products or services, for example, a bottle of wine is sold with food as part of a “meal deal”, the minimum price would be the minimum price that would apply to the alcohol if sold on its own. Retailers do not need to have accounted for the price of items that are not alcohol.
Discount Vouchers
Retailers may continue to apply discount vouchers for alcoholic drinks, but must ensure that the price of the product, after all applicable discounts are applied, does not fall below the minimum price of the product.
Money off vouchers that are offered to customers, for example, save £2 when you spend £20, can still be used to purchase alcohol as long as the total cost of the sale is not below the minimum price for the alcoholic products.
What happens if I don’t comply?
Minimum Unit Pricing has been introduced as a mandatory condition of premises or occasional licence and will be enforced in the same way as any other mandatory condition of a licence. This means that your alcohol licence could be subject to a review or it being revoked if you do not comply. Licensing Standards Officers and Licensing Boards are responsible for enforcing Minimum Unit Pricing.
For more information, visit: www.minimumunitpricing.scot
