Jersey lifts happy hour ban
The Channel Island of Jersey has removed its ban on on-trade drinks promotions almost 40 years after the policy was implemented. The post Jersey lifts happy hour ban appeared first on The Drinks Business.
The Channel Island of Jersey has removed its ban on on-trade drinks promotions almost 40 years after the policy was implemented.
The ban on happy hours, 2-for-1 drinks deals and bottomless brunches had been in place on Jersey since 1987. The policy was itself an amendment to the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974.
A recent public consultation regarding licensing laws on the island found that 89% felt they should be updated, 68% wanted the six categories of on-licence to be reduced to one, and 48% suggested that alcoholic drinks promotions and pricing should be left up to the license holding businesses themselves, not the government.
The body which pushed Jersey's Attorney General for the ban to be dropped was the Jersey Hospitality Association.
The association's co-CEO Marcus Calvani told regional news outlet Channel Eye: "When the guidance was put in place in 1987, there were concerns about excessive alcohol consumption in premises where prices had been significantly reduced. That was nearly 40 years ago and more recently, across the board rises in costs have meant pubs, bars and restaurants were being significantly undercut by off-licence traders, leading people to buy cheap alcohol in shops and drink significantly more than if they were out meeting friends."
"The cost of products and operating won’t reduce, but we hope that the removal of this barrier to business will encourage more Islanders and visitors to go out, enjoy what our industry has to offer, socialise more often in licensed establishments and have some more affordable fun," added Calvani, who then urged businesses to use this new-found freedom "responsibly" for fear of the old rule being re-introduced.
The ban on happy hours, 2-for-1 drinks deals and bottomless brunches had been in place on Jersey since 1987. The policy was itself an amendment to the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974.
A recent public consultation regarding licensing laws on the island found that 89% felt they should be updated, 68% wanted the six categories of on-licence to be reduced to one, and 48% suggested that alcoholic drinks promotions and pricing should be left up to the license holding businesses themselves, not the government.
The body which pushed Jersey's Attorney General for the ban to be dropped was the Jersey Hospitality Association.
The association's co-CEO Marcus Calvani told regional news outlet Channel Eye: "When the guidance was put in place in 1987, there were concerns about excessive alcohol consumption in premises where prices had been significantly reduced. That was nearly 40 years ago and more recently, across the board rises in costs have meant pubs, bars and restaurants were being significantly undercut by off-licence traders, leading people to buy cheap alcohol in shops and drink significantly more than if they were out meeting friends."
"The cost of products and operating won’t reduce, but we hope that the removal of this barrier to business will encourage more Islanders and visitors to go out, enjoy what our industry has to offer, socialise more often in licensed establishments and have some more affordable fun," added Calvani, who then urged businesses to use this new-found freedom "responsibly" for fear of the old rule being re-introduced. 
