Marks & Spencer in hot water after Horsham store sold alcohol to under-age person
Major Horsham store Marks and Spencer has found itself in hot water after a member of staff sold alcohol to a person under the age of 18.
And now the store could face a temporary ban on selling alcohol while a review of its procedures and staff re-training are carried out.
West Sussex Trading Standards Service is urging Horsham District Council to suspend M&S’s alcohol licence for three months.
In a report to the council’s licensing committee, trading standards officials suggest that a three month licence suspension would be ‘an appropriate and proportionate outcome.’
They say that problems first came to light in May last year when a Horsham mum discovered that her 16-year-old daughter and her 17-year-old friend had bought two bottles of strawberry gin at the Swan Walk store’s self-service checkouts.
Trading standards officers visited the store last July and held a meeting with an M&S team manager who was informed that they would be carrying out a ‘test purchase’ with an under age person in the near future. Staff were made aware.
But, say trading standards officials, a 16-year-old boy – a volunteer working for trading standards – managed to buy alcohol without being challenged by staff about his age. He bought a low-alcohol drink and a can of gin and tonic at a self-service till and the sale was authorised by a staff member.
The employee was later questioned by trading standards and she said it was her last day working for Marks and Spencer as she was leaving her job. She said she didn’t remember selling the alcohol to the boy so could not comment on his age or appearance.
She said that M&S operated a ‘Challenge 25’ policy and that had been part of her training when she first joined the company.
In their report to the council, trading standards say: “It is considered that the sale of alcohol to an under age person is a breach of the licensing objective ‘the protection of chidlren from harm’ and that the licensee had failed in their responsibilities to promote the licensing objective.”
They urged the council to consider a three-month suspension of the Horsham M&S store’s alcohol licence. No decisions have yet been made.
An M&S spokesperson said: “We have one of the toughest policies in the industry when it comes to selling alcohol and other restricted items, with a "Challenge 25" policy that is backed up by rigorous and ongoing training for all our colleagues.
"All of the company's policies and training were followed at this store and this follows an isolated incident.”