Asda Boss Warns Returning To Imperial Measurements Is 'Complete And Utter Nonsense'

The chairman of Asda has spoken out against the possibility of the government bringing back imperial measures.

A 12-week government consultation which hopes to bring back imperial measurements in British supermarkets is set to launch today (3 June).

However, Asda chairman and conservative peer Lord Stuart Rose has condemned the consultation as being 'complete and utter nonsense'.

Lord Rose disagrees with many governmental figures and bodies who are supportive of bringing back imperial measures.

He told Times Radio yesterday (2 June): "I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life.

"I mean, we have got serious problems in the world and we’re now saying let’s go backwards. Does anybody in this country below the age of about 40 know how many ounces there are in a pound?"

The chairman stated that the step is actually rather 'backwards' and is only to 'please a small minority of people who hark for the past'.

"It’s complete and utter nonsense and it will add cost to those people who have to put it into place.

"I am shocked. It’s one thing having a crown on your pint glass, which is a bit of fun and a bit of nostalgia. It’s quite another having a whole dual system of weights and measures," he said.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has also warned such a change could have financial implications in an already testing time amid a cost of living crisis.

Since 2000, UK traders were forced to list metric measurements (grams and kilograms) on any loose or packaged items.

The change was enforced by the European Union weights and measures directive.

The upcoming consultation will weigh up whether the legal units should be changed back to imperial measures, in order to give traders the ability to list the measurements of items in whatever way they so desire.

Business minister Paul Scully said: "While we think of our fruit and veg by the pound, the legacy of EU rules means we legally have to sell them by the kilo.

"Our consultation today will help shops to serve customers in the way their customers want."

The consultation and potential change back to imperial measures was reviewed as 'common sense' by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, particularly in light of Brexit.

Brexit minister Lord Frost stated: "Overbearing regulations were often conceived and agreed in Brussels with little consideration of the UK national interest.

"We now have the opportunity to do things differently."

A review of the 'EU ban on markings and sales in imperial units and legislate' was first put forward by the Cabinet Office in September 2021, in a policy paper titled 'Brexit Opportunities'.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the use of imperial measurements an 'ancient liberty'.

Downing Street argued the measurements are still very much 'universally understood' and desired by businesses and consumers to this day.

However, if imperial measures are reinforced, businesses have been told they won't be forced to switch back, particularly if such a change could incur additional costs for the business or the customers.

The consultation is set to include consumer groups as well as business and trade associations.