Challenge 25

File:Challenge 25 Product Poster.svg

Challenge 25 Poster for Age Restricted Products

Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy introduced by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), with the intention of preventing young people gaining access to age-restricted products including cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. Under the scheme, anyone attempting to buy age-restricted products is asked to prove their age with a valid form of ID (a card bearing the PASS hologram, a photographic driving license or a passport) if they look under 25, even though the minimum age to buy alcohol and cigarettes in the UK is 18. Introduced as Challenge 21 in 2006, Challenge 25 rolled out in the off trade in 2009.

The Challenge 25 policy follows on from the Challenge 21 campaign introduced by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents the beer and pub sector. The scheme is now led by the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG), which was set up in 2005 by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), to tackle underage sales and purchases of alcohol.

Overview

Challenge 25 is a scheme employed by retailers to prevent the sale of alcohol to individuals who appear to be under 25 years of age, but are actually over 18. This is achieved by requiring customers to provide acceptable forms of identification, such as a card with the PASS hologram, a photographic driving license or a passport. The initiative was initially launched as Challenge 21 in 2006, but was later extended to Challenge 25 in 2009 for off-trade retailers.

In response to poor test purchasing results during the Government’s Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC), major retailers were brought together by the then Home Secretary in 2005. The Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG) was formed by off-trade retailers to address the issue of underage sales by conducting research and implementing policies to prevent them.

The research conducted by RASG revealed that checkout staff found it challenging to accurately estimate the age of customers and were often hesitant to confront them, as some customers reacted aggressively or violently when challenged. To address this issue, RASG developed and adopted Challenge 21 (later Challenge 25), which provided a buffer zone for staff who were unable to accurately estimate the age of a customer. This was done under the assumption that incorrectly estimating a customer's age at 21 was less likely to result in underage sales than estimating it at 18. The initiative was supported by detailed staff training, including conflict resolution, and managers were trained not to overrule staff who had challenged a customer.

Although Challenge 21 was successful, it was believed that extending the buffer zone beyond 21 would be even more effective. Thus, RASG coordinated national retailers to voluntarily move up to Challenge 25, while on-trade retailers continued to operate Challenge 21.

History

The former Home Secretary brought together off-trade retailers in 2005 to address the issue of underage sales. In response, these retailers formed the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG) and commissioned research to identify policies that could be implemented to prevent these sales. This led to the development of Challenge 21 (later Challenge 25), which allowed staff a buffer zone when they were unable to accurately determine a customer's age.

The success of the initiative depended on more than just posters, as staff were provided with extensive training on the scheme, including conflict resolution. This was a significant cultural shift for organisations. In addition to training, managers were instructed not to overrule staff who had made challenges, to ensure they felt supported and confident in their decision-making.

The impressive results following the implementation of Challenge 21 prompted RASG to recommend extending the buffer zone beyond 21 for even greater impact. Consequently, national retailers voluntarily moved up to Challenge 25, while on-trade retailers continued to operate Challenge 21.

Components

Challenge 25 represented a significant cultural shift for businesses. It is not merely an identification scheme, but encompasses several additional components aimed at raising the overall standards of alcohol sellers. These components include:

• Training - Retailers who implement Challenge 25 ensure that it is accompanied by a regular staff training program to ensure that staff members are confident in challenging customers, and that the policy is consistently enforced.
• Display - Posters are prominently displayed in stores to advertise the implementation of Challenge 25. This not only deters potential underage customers, but also provides support for staff members who need to make challenges.
• Staff support - The success of Challenge 25 is dependent on staff members having confidence that their decisions will not be overturned by management. Therefore, in the implementation of the scheme, decisions made by frontline staff are not challenged or overturned by management.
• Record keeping - The implementation of Challenge 25 encourages the keeping of records of all unsuccessful attempts by customers who appear to be under 25 to purchase alcohol without appropriate identification. This helps licensees in police or trading standards operations.
• Clear guidelines on acceptable identification - There are numerous forms of identification used in the UK, making it difficult for retailers to know what to accept. The standard Challenge 25 scheme recommends accepting Passports, Driver's Licences and PASS approved cards. Although individual establishments can accept any identification within the law, if they choose to accept the Challenge 25 standard, it is clearly indicated on all posters to ensure consistent implementation of the scheme.
• Awareness of fake identification - The Home Office has issued guidelines to help retailers identify fake identification. It is important to train staff members to recognise acceptable forms of identification and how to detect fakes.

Posters, shelf barkers and badges have been developed to reinforce the message throughout stores that individuals who appear to be under 25 and attempt to purchase alcohol will be required to provide identification. The signage, in red and black, is visually striking and emphasises that individuals under 25 can expect to be challenged to prove their age, while also highlighting the potential heavy fines for breaking the law.

Legal Requirements

By law, all retailers in the UK must have a proof of age policy when selling alcohol. This requires individuals who appear to be under 18 years of age to produce appropriate identification on request, before they are served alcohol. Some retailers have chosen to voluntarily adopt Challenge 25, which extends this age level to 25, but this is not required by law.

In Scotland, the application of Challenge 25 is mandatory, and in England and Wales, it is often made a condition on licenses.

Acceptable forms of ID

Retailers who enforce Challenge 25 are responsible for determining which forms of identification they will accept, and this may vary from one retailer to another. To prevent the use of counterfeit IDs, most retailers limit the types of identification they accept, and in some cases, alcohol licenses impose restrictions on the types of ID that are acceptable in certain stores. The Licensing Act 2003 guidance specifies the types of identification that retailers are permitted to accept as proof of age, which must include a photograph of the holder, their date of birth, and either a holographic mark or an ultraviolet feature. Examples of acceptable identification include photo card driving licenses, passports, military identification or proof of age cards bearing the PASS hologram. However, other forms of identification that meet the above criteria may also be considered acceptable.

Impact

Challenge 25 has been implemented in a minimum of 12,500 supermarkets across the UK. On average, 68 full-time and part-time workers per store are trained each year to enforce the scheme, which means an estimated 850,000 individuals per year receive training.

Since its inception, Challenge 25 and similar schemes have resulted in approximately 11 million challenges being made to customers who appear to be under 25 years of age.

While supermarkets have been at the forefront of promoting Challenge 25, the scheme has also been adopted by the independent retail sector. The Association of Convenience Stores, which is a member of the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group, has played a key role in promoting the scheme.

In many cases, local authorities are more likely to require Challenge 25 as a licensing condition for independent stores compared to pubs or bars. As a result, Challenge 25 has become the standard for the off-trade industry.

In 2014, a study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of Challenge 25. The research discovered the following:

1. Approximately 850,000 individuals are trained each year in the application of Challenge 25;
2. Challenge 25 and comparable schemes have led to approximately 11 million people being challenged;
3. Awareness of Challenge 25 is high, with 67% of the general public and 86% of 18-24 year olds being aware of the scheme;
4. The vast majority (79%) of respondents either strongly supported (51%) or tended to support (29%) retailers implementing Challenge 25;
5. Young people drinking within the last week has decreased by 18% since the introduction of Challenge 25;
6. The implementation of Challenge 21 has resulted in a 24% reduction in alcohol consumption by 16-24 year olds.

Other age-restricted products

Challenge 25 was introduced by retailers as a means to combat the issue of underage alcohol sales, however, many have since expanded its application to cover all age-restricted products. This means that when purchasing products such as tobacco, lottery tickets, knives, DVDs or video games, you may be challenged to prove your age under the scheme. It is worth noting that each retailer may have different policies in relation to Challenge 25, so it is best to contact the specific retailer for any queries about the scheme's application.

References

This article "Challenge 25" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Challenge 25. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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