“Hoooow muuuuch?” With the price of everything seeming to be skyrocketing at the moment, customers won’t be happy to know that the price of a pint could rise to £7 in the UK as the industry warns it could otherwise go bust.
Pressures such as the rising cost of energy, food, labour and beer are putting pressure on pubs to keep going. UKHospitality has said that pubs are facing an “unprecedented” price rise, which experts claim could ease the pressures on the industry.
The average price of a pin in the UK is currently £4.07 according to the British Beer and Pub Association. Londoners are said to be paying £6 plus such as The Bunch of Grapes in Borough, which charges £6.75 for a pint of Amstel.
This would mean that if the price of a pint went up 50p that would take the price of a pint over £7 in the capital.
Dave Mountford, co-founder of the Forum of British Pubs and manager at The Boat Inn, in Derbyshire said: “We’re putting prices up now and soon we’ll break the £4 a pint on cask ale for the first time ever.
“Our most expensive pint is a premium lager and it’s £4.80 – it was £3.75 two years ago.”Why are prices increasing?
Nik Antona, CAMRA’s National Chairman, said the sector is dealing with a range of issues such as “employment, supply chain and cost of good crises” which are all causing the price of a pint to rise.
She continued: “This could spell disaster at the pump for small brewers and publicans if consumers make the decision to stay at home to cut corners.”
James Calder, chief executive of Society of Independent Brewers, reiterated Antona’s explaination saying: “We have seen huge spikes in people costs, transport, raw ingredients and energy.
“With most brewers running very tight ships already, our sector unfortunately needs to be able to pass on these price rises to customers including the pubs in between. Otherwise they will go bust.
“No business likes to raise its prices but right now it is a necessity to survive.”
If the government scrapped the 12.5% VAT rate on pubs restaurants and hotels industry experts plus the planned rise to 20% in April it is hinted that this would help ease things for the industry.
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