The British Beer and Pub Association is calling for supermarkets to take part in its drive to tackle binge drinking.
Mark Hastings, director of communications for the BBPA, said: “We are also calling on supermarkets, which sell the bargain-basement alcohol that also plays a role in town-centre drinking, to take part.”
The organisation has already been successful in encouraging its members to ban happy hours in pubs. The BBPA said it believed eradicating the sort of promotions that fuel excessive drinking would help tackle antisocial behaviour in town centres, which the government estimates costs £20bn a year.
A spokesman said:“We all have a role to play in promoting responsible drinking.”
Hannu Ryöppönen, the chief financial officer of Ahold, is to become chief financial officer at Finnish paper and board supplier Stora Enso. He helped save the Dutch supermarket group from collapse after an accounting scandal was uncovered at its US food distribution arm.

Japan’s chain stores association said supermarket sales fell 2.3% year-on-year in April to 1.16 trillion yen (£5.9bn), marking the 17th decrease in 18 months. Sales of food, which accounts for 58.3% of supermarket sales in Japan, fell 1.8% year-on-year.

Australia’s Woolworths and Metcash Trading have joined forces to acquire Foodland Associated. Retail chain Woolworths has paid A$2.2bn (£918m) for its New Zealand retail arm and, in Australia, 22 stores and three development sites. Wholesaler Metcash bought its Australian wholesale business for AUS$780m (£326m).

Coca-Cola has been hit by strikes at bottling plants in the US and Russia. Workers at bottling and distribution plants in Connecticut and Los Angeles took action this week in protest at increased healthcare benefit charges. Staff at a St Petersburg plant demanded that the 300 workers’ salaries were indexed to inflation.

PepsiCo International is eyeing up to 20 potential international targets. Mike White, chairman and chief executive, said there were a number of “tuck under” acquisitions that it would examine.
Wal-Mart is ending its online DVD rental venture on June 16. It has offered its 100,000 subscribers the chance to transfer their rental subscription to DVD operation Netflix at Wal-Mart’s subscription price. The scheme was launched in June 2003 but offered a more limited selection of DVD titles than Netflix’s catalogue and was not promoted heavily by the US superstore giant.
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