On 4 January, the Government in the Republic of Ireland brought in MUP, which enforces a minimum cost of at least 10c on every gram of alcohol.
While many of the stakeholders were in favour of the measure in a bid to tackle alcohol misuse, one of the biggest bugbears was that it was not being enacted in both the North and South of Ireland at the same time. As a result, consumers from the Republic are crossing the border to stock up on cheaper beer and wine.
Read the full article on the Irish Times website
NAM Implications:
- This increase in sales represents 30-40% in some places.
- i.e. an indication of the scale of cross-border issues that can result from legislative/tax differences.
- Add the complications of the Brexit/NI Protocol process…
- …to gain an insight into the extent of potential distortion in North/South trade.
- Watch this space…
