Leading retailer Asda has introduced a new minimum pricing structure on alcohol.

The group has further declared that it will undertake closer working relationships with the UK government to ensure that it is at the forefront of tackling alcohol misuse and abuse across Britain.

The announcement follows the recent high-profile media case of a Tesco store that sold wine for less than cost price in Scotland, leading health campaigners to claim that supermarket chains could not be trusted to be self-policing when it came to the sale of alcohol.

Asda introduced its new alcohol policy on Tuesday, whereby a floor price of duty plus VAT is set on more than 99 per cent of the alcohol sold by the group. This will result in a minimum price of £8.95 for a 20-pack of 440ml 5 per cent strength cans of beer, which would be made up of a duty of £7.62 plus the VAT of 17.5 per cent on top. Similarly, a 750ml bottle of wine would go for a minimum of £1.99 and a one-litre bottle of spirit such as vodka at £10.49.

Asda has also proposed that the government enforce the same policy throughout the entire retail industry in a letter to home secretary Theresa May from chief executive Andy Clarke. Mr Clarke claims that Asda supports a Responsibility Agreement on Alcohol development agreement to ensure that the previously successful partnership between government and industry would not be wasted, and that in conjunction with the OFT, all those involved would be responsible for establishing a safe retail environment which would openly discuss and tackle the issues of alcohol misuse across the UK.

Oh dear. In a real fashion catastrophe, three of the most popular style magazines on the planet have somehow contrived to feature the same dress on their latest covers.

Prada will no doubt be delighted, with their dress appearing on the front page of Vogue, Elle and W all at the same time, but industry analysts are wondering how such a faux pas could have happened in a business which employs teams of people to make sure that this precise incident is avoided. In what is the industry equivalent of three supermodels turning up to a party in the same outfit, the coincidence is somewhat of an embarrassment to all concerned. Fashion houses such as Prada go to great lengths to ensure that rival photo shoots are not given the same outfit, something which has left the respective magazine editors scrambling to deflect criticism.

While Elle magazine said the situation was not surprising given that the dress was so fabulous, Vogue attempted to point out that the dresses were not the same, saying that they had not even noticed the other covers.

Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen appears on the cover of British Vogue in tangerine version of Prada’s diffusion line Miu Miu, while Lily Allen is featured in a lilac lace version for UK Elle, and Eva Mendes adorns the cover of US glossy W in a yellow number. As if that wasn’t enough, model Mona Johannesson appears in the lilac dress on the cover of Swedish Elle.

UK hoteliers are steeling themselves for a slow economic recovery.

Choice Hotels Europe’s UK division has released a new survey which shows that 36 per cent of UK hotel owners claim the slow the pace of economic recovery could continue for some years.

Choice Hotels, which operates the Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands, questioned managers and owners on priorities for the immediate future and also what they deemed the biggest factor to losing business.

The biggest barrier in preventing the highly valued customer loyalty was found to be the attitude of staff, with 50 per cent of those surveyed sating they felt this was the largest contributor to any negative impact. 18 per cent of hotels have subsequently implemented a range of staff training and customer service initiatives designed at making the customer experience as best as possible. In particular, front of house and Reception staff, along with room cleaners, will need to improve performance to prevent a poor image of a property being reflected on the key arrival time.

31 per cent of respondents said the past six months were the most difficult ever faced, with the trading environment unlike anything seen in the past. The Choice ‘Hotelier Pulse-Check’ survey however did manage to find that around a third of those polled held hopes that the 12 months ahead would show signs of a turnaround in fortunes. The main priority for all hotels in this period is to step up marketing and advertising campaigns to attempt to attract new customers to their properties, with 18 per cent of hotels also investing in new or upgraded facilities.

Erin Andrews, the stunning sports reporter for ESPN and standout performer of the last season of Dancing with the Stars, is taking legal action.

Andrews has announced she will be suing a number of hotels who allowed a known stalker to find out where she was staying, who then proceeded to film her nude in her hotel room and post the footage online.

The glamorous Andrews, 32, is suing both the Radisson Hotels International and Marriott International Hotels for negligence, as well as invasion of privacy and causing emotional distress and invasion of privacy. Her actions follow the sentencing of former Illinois insurance salesman Michael David Barrett four months ago to two-and-a-half years in prison after he was found guilty on a range of stalking charges.

The prosecution in the case alleged Barrett had made contact with 14 separate hotels to ascertain reservation information on Miss Andrews. Barrett pleaded guilty to renting hotel rooms next door to Andrews in no less than three cities, while firstly in Columbus, Ohio, in 2008 and then Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009 he was found to have created peepholes and used his mobile phone to video Andrews. He then attempted to sell the videos to online celebrity site TMZ who declined to purchase the footage. He then uploaded the video himself online where it went viral in a matter of days.

Andrews is seeking $1.2 million (£784,000) from the respective hotels and from Barrett himself, in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, for severe and permanent emotional distress.

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