"A feeling of impunity": 86% of supermarkets violate the law on the sale of alcohol, an association highlights them

Nearly nine out of ten supermarkets are breaking the law by selling alcohol to minors , according to tests conducted in Nantes, Angers and Rennes, the Addictions France association, which called on Thursday, July 3, for "truly dissuasive sanctions" and frequent inspections by the State.

Of 90 establishments belonging to the Auchan, Lidl, Leclerc, Diagonal, U Express, Intermarché, Carrefour (City, Market, and Express), Monoprix, Franprix, and G20 brands tested in April and May, 86% sold alcohol to minors, according to the association. This compares to 93% during a similar operation in 2021.

"Despite the formal ban on the sale of alcohol to minors and the government's commitment to better enforce it, access to alcohol remains very easy for minors in 2025," Myriam Savy, head of advocacy at Addictions France, told AFP.

For these tests, minors, accompanied by a bailiff, visited supermarkets, some of which had "already been the subject of investigations." Only 8% of establishments requested ID to verify customers' ages.

However, Article L.3342-1 of the Public Health Code specifies that "the person who delivers the drink requires the customer to provide proof of their majority" via a "systematic act", "not conditioned by simple doubt about the customer's physical appearance", recalls Addictions France.

These test purchases "were systematically carried out in the middle of the day, during the week", most often at times of "low traffic, with few or no customers at the checkout", the association specifies, in order to debunk in advance the argument of "pressure linked to crowds" to justify the lack of age control.

In detail, of the 25 Carrefour stores tested, only two refused to sell, as did two of the 11 Lidl stores tested, as did two of the seven Coopérative U group stores visited. Among the other brands: only one E.Leclerc store out of six refused to sell to the minor, only one Intermarché store out of seven, none of the six Monoprix stores tested, and none of the two Auchan stores.

In the summer of 2023, the association tested 42 bars, cafes and fast food outlets in Loire-Atlantique in urban and rural areas: only one refused to sell after verifying the minor's age.

Its findings in 2023-2024 led to the opening of 37 legal proceedings, the first of which "will not be argued until December 9, 2025," a two-year delay which "reinforces a feeling of impunity and trivializes the transgression of the law," judges Addictions France.

Faced with the "general ineffectiveness of the current regulatory system" and the "Charter of Responsible Commitments" signed by major retailers (Carrefour, Auchan, Lidl, Monoprix, etc.) in 2019, in partnership with the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, the association is calling for systematic random checks by the State and "genuinely dissuasive" sanctions.

With fines reaching 2% of the company's annual turnover if it is less than 100,000 euros, and 10% from 500,000 euros - according to a system of graduated sanctions reminiscent of those of environmental or competition law.

The use of administrative sanctions could be made systematic, ranging from warnings to suspensions, or even the withdrawal of licenses by the prefect or mayor after two repeat offenses. And dedicated resources would allow these offenses to be tried within six weeks.

Because while selling alcohol to a minor is an offense punishable by a fine of 7,500 euros - doubled in the event of a repeat offense within 5 years - today "checks are rare, prosecutions are infrequent, and convictions up to the maximum penalty are virtually non-existent," states Addictions France.

By comparison, in Switzerland, which combines prevention, frequent random checks and dissuasive sanctions, 65% of sellers checked the age of buyers in 2023, compared to 54% in 2014, according to the association.

In July 2024, the Pau Court of Appeal upheld the Lidl retailer's €5,000 fine for selling alcohol to a 16-year-old minor, Kilian, who was killed in Urrugne (Pyrénées Atlantiques) on May 8, 2021, when he hit a pylon on his scooter after being hit by a friend, also drunk, riding his scooter. Lidl has appealed.