Drinks Ireland fully supports any measures that retailers take to ensure that alcohol products are sold, promoted and displayed (in-store) in a responsible manner.
Structural Separation within retail outlets – Public Health (Alcohol) Act
Section 22 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act outlines how alcohol may be displayed and advertised within a retail outlet. A retailer may have a closed storage unit at one Point of Sale area and/or one of following 3 options:
- single separated area or
- one or more enclosed and adjacent storage units or
- not more than 3 adjacent open storage units
Section 22 states all alcohol must be displayed in a separate area of a retail outlet that is separated by a physical barrier which has a minimum height of not less than 1.2 metres and through which alcohol and advertisements for alcohol are not visible. Smaller retail outlets, one or more enclosed adjacent storage units on the shop floor in which the products are not visible up to a minimum height of 1.5 metres.
The HSE have prepared a guidance note on structural separation which you can access HERE.
Restrictions on store promotions of alcohol products
Section 23 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act imposes the following restrictions concerning sales promotions of alcohol products and thus prohibits the following:
- The award of, or use of bonus or loyalty card points in relation to the sale of alcohol products
- The sale and advertisement of alcohol products at a reduced price or free of charge when sold with one or more alcohol products or another product or service
- The sale and advertisement of alcohol products at a reduced price for a period of three days or less.
Non-alcoholic product variants
The Public Health (Alcohol) Act defines alcohol as any product with an alcoholic strength above 0.5% ABV per container. The Act does not provide for a definition of a non-alcohol product. When it comes to the display of non-alcoholic beer /wine / cider or spirit-type drinks, retailers have two options;
- Display non-alcoholic product variant within the separated area and elsewhere in the store.
Or - Display non-alcoholic product variant elsewhere in the store only.
In-store advertising
Advertisements for alcohol are not permitted outside the separated area/units. This includes advertising of alcohol products over an intercom system.