Scottish retailer leaders condemn plans to put booze out of sight

As part of a campaign to reduce problem drinking across society, the Scottish government is consulting on measures to restrict the position of beers, wines and spirits.

In small shops, alcohol would have to be displayed out of sight, while bigger stores would be forced to keep products containing alcohol away from entrances, exits and checkouts.

Ferhan Ashiq, the past Scottish president of the Fed, warned that it threatened the survival of independent retailers.

He said: “With the high costs we are facing, retailers don’t have the mental or financial capacity to deal with any further legislation.

“We are tapped out. Some of our members may not even survive this year.”

Ashiq, who runs a shop in East Lothian, added: “It feels like independent retailers are public enemy number one to the Scottish government.

“We face an onslaught of legislation, whether it is the deposit return scheme, minimum unit pricing, the banning of disposable vapes, the restrictions on high fat, sugar and salt foods (HFSS).

“Independent retailers believe the government should be tackling the issue of problem drinking through better health education and cultural change, not by penalising retailers who are trying to earn a living and providing a living for the people who work for us.”

Ashiq argued that alcohol in itself is not harmful when taken in moderation.

He said: “It is only large quantities that are the problem.”

The Fed’s Scottish president, Aleem Farooqi, added to the criticism and dismissed the proposals as “simplistic, unworkable and another massive threat to the livelihoods of independent retailers”.