A leading beer manufacturer installed a CCTV camera in a South Dublin off-licence to analyse the purchasing habits of customers. Heineken Ireland paid for the installation of the camera at Martha's Vineyard, Rathfarnham, to gather information of customers purchasing alcohol.
The owner of the off-licence, Mr Richard Barry, rejected claims that the operation was in any way covert. Speaking yesterday, Mr Barry said: "The exercise was not in anyway covert or hidden. The camera stood in plain view at the back of the store on a tripod with a sign on it. It only was in place for two nights as part of a market research investigation by Heineken."
Defending the camera's installation, Mr Barry said: "The camera allowed the company to see shoppers in their natural state and what promotions or brands they are drawn to and what part of the fridge they go to first."
Heineken Ireland, which is part of the Cork based Murphy's Brewery, was yesterday unavailable for comment about the practice but a spokesman said the company monitored consumer habits on an ongoing basis through a variety of observation surveys.
The practice has been criticised by the director of Consumer Affairs, Ms Carmel Foley, who likened it to "having someone follow you around the shop with a clipboard".
Mr Dermot Jewell, chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, said: "Consumers expect to see cameras in place for security purposes, but this camera was put in for a very different reason. It was put in purely to record the purchasing habits of customers and it is intrusive."
Mr Jewell compared the situation to supermarket loyalty cards, which record the purchases made by customers. "There is one significant difference between the two. One has the right to choose whether or not to use a loyalty card. However, in this case the customers had no choice but to be recorded," he said.