Online sales and deliveries of alcohol

Executive Summary

In recent times, UK consumers have been buying alcohol online in record numbers, from an ever-growing variety of retailers, increasingly promising delivery to the doorstep within minutes.

However, as the market continues to expand, Alcohol Change UK’s commissioned research questions how robust current systems are in protecting children and vulnerable adults from alcohol harm.

The findings suggest that retailers selling alcohol online are failing in their responsibilities to ensure that alcohol is not being delivered to minors, or intoxicated adults, on the doorstep and immediate improvement is needed. Alcohol Change UK recommend taking a multi-component approach to this issue, including:

• A robust training and support system being set up by retailers, to enable their delivery drivers to effectively and routinely refuse to hand over alcohol to anyone
  underage or showing visible signs of intoxication
• Police and trading standards teams across England and Wales routinely undertaking test purchase operations using participants under 18 years of age, to test retailers’ adherence to the law and their own policies in not selling or delivering alcohol to minors; with consideration also given to how best to test whether alcohol is being delivered to people who are intoxicated
• Further research examining the extent to which minors may be acquiring alcohol via online sales and home deliveries
• Revisiting the licensing legislation in England and Wales, and the associated guidance, to ensure it provides the necessary clarity for all concerned about their roles and responsibilities when selling alcohol online and delivering it to people’s homes.