SUE SAYS

The BEN Dinner was a great night - it was lovely to see so many people and catch up on all their news. My dinner companions Roy Grier and David McAllister kept me thoroughy entertained regarding stories of the past and Roy is just amazing.I hope at 94 years of age I am just as sparky.

Most of the people I spoke to told me that January had been surprisingly good and that they were looking forward to meeting the challenges of trading in 2023 head on. That was great to hear.

It was also great to see the Charity moving with the times with barcodes for the silent auction, a fabulous cruise as the main prize - which Gordon Bell (pictured right with Roy) very kindly gave back to the Ben after winning it, which resulted in the prize being auctioned and raising a further £8K, nobody that knows Gordon was particularly surprised because he is just that kind of guy.

This month we have covered the proposed advertising ban that the Scottish Government believe will reduce the possibility of youngsters drinking. Is it just me or is the quality of consultation papers, and the quality of drafted bills as poor as I think they are? Never mind the premise that by banning alcohol advertising you will save the next generation of youngsters from turning into alcoholics. All research shows that youngsters are drinking less than ever. It’s us middle to late agers that are the drinkers... and we are too long in the tooth to drink more because of advertising, but we might be persuaded to change brand.

The trade - producers, brand owners, hospitality operators are all opposed to it. They just have not thought through all the impllications and the impact on the Scottish economy. Please respond to the consultation by 9th March.

Of course the unease over the Deposit Return Scheme is still rumbling away. Blair Bowman is doing a sterling job keeping everyone informed and he is certainly on the front food with this with lots of industry support and has also garnered the support of Fergus Ewing who in a Sunday Times article said it was the worst idea he had seen in politics in 32 years!

Roadshows on DRS are ongoing on 14th February at the Philipburn Hotel, Selkirk, the 15th February at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Glasgow, 16th February at theCairndale Hotel in Dumfries. Checkout the Circularity Scotland website for ongoing updates.

DRAM DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

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