Responsible About Alcohol

Responsible about alcohol

The majority of our stores in Great Britain are licensed to sell alcohol, accounting for a small proportion of our overall customer offering.

We have traditionally offered only a limited range of beers, wines and spirits, though this is currently being expanded and developed to meet our customers’ needs. Alcohol is stocked close to our tills and under the visual supervision of our cashiers. This is supported by CCTV monitoring in the majority of our stores as an additional protection against under-age alcohol browsing and theft.

In accordance with the licensing regulations in England and Wales, each store manager undertakes training to the Government-recognised Level 2 licensing qualification, and is licensed by the appropriate local authority as our Designated Premises Supervisor. It is our policy to train two other members of staff in each store to the same standard, ensuring that a fully qualified person is working at the premises at all times.

Similarly rigorous training is undertaken by the managers and staff of our Scottish stores to meet the requirements of the licensing regulations in Scotland.

All members of our store staff are given training on the sale of alcohol as part of their induction programme, and this training is refreshed every six months.

At the point of sale, we operate a strict “Challenge 25” policy, requiring any customer who appears to be under the age of 25 to produce appropriate proof of their age and identity: a driving licence, passport or a card from another Government-approved scheme. We keep a log in our stores of people who have been challenged and refused service, and this is open to inspection by the Trading Standards and licensing authorities. Any failure by our staff to comply with company policies on the sale of alcohol is treated as a most serious disciplinary matter.

Iceland is an active member of the Retail Alcohol Standards Group (RASG). Work undertaken by RASG focusses on preventing underage drinking as well as the promotion of high standards throughout the entire off-licensed retail sector.

Iceland sponsors Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP). CAP is a Community Interest Company (CiC) which brings together and supports local partnerships of councils, police, retailers, schools, health providers and community groups across the UK to reduce alcohol harm among young people, improve their health and wellbeing and enhance their communities.

Iceland signed up to and submitted pledge delivery plans under the Department of Health’s Public Health Responsibility Deal for tackling under-age alcohol sales and the responsible advertising and marketing of alcohol.

Retail Of Alcohol Standards (rasg.org.uk)

Community Alcohol Partnerships