Top B drinks promos undercut by new Wetherspoons prices

The UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon is cutting the price of some drinks to 99p in an effort to help their customers during the economic downturn.

The new deal means a bottle of San Miguel or a pint of Greene King IPA can be enjoyed for under a pound. The indefinite promotion has caused uproar from some health groups, while rival businesses fear they will either have to compete, or lose customers.

JD Wetherspoon is one of the UK’s biggest pub chains with more than 700 pubs across the country, 12 of which can be found near campus.

Despite the fact that pubs in England are closing at a rate of five a day and contributing to increasing unemployment levels across the country, JD Wetherspoon opened five new businesses in December 2008 providing around 200 jobs.

After a successful Christmas period, the company most recently opened a pub in South Yorkshire in a £1.6 million redevelopment project on an old market hall.

Alcohol Concern has expressed worries that such low prices will encourage the binge drinking culture which the government has tried to address in recent years.

A survey carried out by the Department of Health showed that more than a third of respondents questioned on their knowledge of alcohol units did not know the government’s daily recommended level of three units for women and four units for men.

Undoubtedly one of the Students’ Union’s most popular nights, Top B’s promotions include a wide selection of drinks for just one pound. Welfare Officer Steph Jones said, “although Warwick Students’ Union has some drinks promotions, we always try our utmost to promote a sensible drinking environment and it is something which we take very seriously.

“For example we have already planned for and will be running a responsible drinking campaign later this year. Also our security team and bar staff are extremely well trained in the area of responsible drinking and students’ welfare at evening events is one of our main priorities.

We are very keen to make clear to students the health implications of excessive drinking whilst at the same time respecting that Warwick students are adults and capable of making their own informed decisions”.

The end of 2008 saw concern from Labour MPs regarding cheap alcohol in supermarkets, which contributes to unhealthy, ‘pre-drinking’ in private whilst Alistair Darling also increased the duty on alcohol, offsetting the decrease of VAT from 17.5-15 per cent.

Arguments in favour of the JD Wetherspoon’s price cut claim that as long as alcohol is bought to drink in public, responsible drinking will be endorsed.

The pub chain is not alone in record promotions as it joins many other businesses battling for sought-after custom, but concerns persist that it comes at the cost of our health.