
Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes
CAUGHT ON THE HOPS Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
CRAFT beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year — giving drinkers a major hangover.
Prices have jumped by up to 12.5 per cent since January, The Morning Advertiser Pint Price Survey has revealed.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said many landlords are having to charge more just to stay open in the face of rising raw material costs and tax rises.
The survey said the biggest price rise was for BrewDog Punk IPA, which was £5.64 a pint in January but is now £6.34.
Camden Hells has also climbed to £6.34, up 10.8 per cent from £5.72.
Others have seen more modest increases, just 1.7 per cent for Camden Pale Ale, which has gone from £5.59 to £5.69.
The average price of a draught pint across all types has crept up to £5.17, compared with £5.08 six months ago.
CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: 'It's incredibly frustrating for consumers to see the price of a pint rise yet again.
'It's really important that we talk about the reasons that the price of beer is rising — it's hikes in the price of raw materials for brewers, energy costs staying high, pubs being squeezed by a challenging business rates system and rises in National Insurance contributions.
'Increasing the price of a pint is sometimes the only option for pubs, as not doing so risks closing their doors for ever.'
Whitbread, owner of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, has reported a 16 per cent fall in food and drink sales as it overhauls its restaurants.
1
Craft beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year
Credit: Getty
Pint prices on the rise and Maccies axes beloved item
MORRISONS OVER STORM
MORRISONS bosses said it had 'bounced back' from a Christmas cyber attack, as it posted stronger sales and profits for the latest quarter.
But the UK's fifth-largest supermarket chain warned inflation is driving 'subdued' sentiment among shoppers.
The Bradford-based business yesterday revealed group sales grew by 4.2 per cent to £3.9billion for the 13 weeks to April 27 compared with the same 2024 quarter.
Morrisons is pushing ahead with a turnaround plan which includes closing cafés along with meat and fish counters.
NO BEAUTY BID
MIKE Ashley's Frasers Group has pulled out of the bidding process for cosmetic retailer Revolution Beauty.
Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, said it 'does not intend to make an offer'.
The make-up firm had said Frasers was 'one of a number of parties conducting due diligence' after it put itself up for sale last month.
But the withdrawal raises questions over the future of the troubled beauty brand.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
New Look closing another store after already shutting 32 shops this year
It comes after The Times reported earlier this year that New Look was looking to 'accelerate future store closures' when leases expire New Look is closing another store next weekend - after already shutting 32 sites. The fashion retailer is closing its shop in Neath, Wales on August 6. The news was shared on social media, with a photo that shows a closing down sign in the store. The sign reads: 'Thanks for having us, Neath. This store will be closing on Wednesday, 6th August. 'Don't worry, you'll still be able to find us at with 100s of new styles dropping every week.' Disappointed New Look shoppers have been reacting to the news online. One person said: 'There be nothing in Neath soon.' Another commented: 'It'll become a ghost town soon.' A third said: 'Unfortunately it's the same everywhere. Online shopping has killed the high street.' It comes after The Times reported earlier this year that New Look was looking to "accelerate future store closures" when leases expire. The newspaper said this was due to the tax increases revealed in October's budget. According to the report, around a quarter of its 364 UK stores - around 91 sites - could be at risk of closure. New Look did not confirm this report at the time. The rate of National Insurance paid by firms increased from 13.8% to 15% from April 2025. The earnings threshold for when employers start paying National Insurance was also lowered from £9,100 per year to £5,000. At the same time, minimum wage went up by 6.7% - so for someone aged 21 and over, minimum wage is now £12.21 an hour. New Look has closed 32 stores in recent months, including Northfield shopping centre in Birmingham and Willow Place shopping centre in Corby, which both shut in June. Its branches in St Austell and Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, closed in May, while locations in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wickford, Essex, have also shut. In February, New Look also exited the Republic of Ireland which resulted in the closure of 26 stores. At the time, the company said: 'Due to the increasingly volatile trading conditions we needed to expedite our existing plans, which included conducting a review of our operations in the Republic of Ireland. 'Following this review, the group regrettably concluded it was no longer viable to continue trading here, so it has made the difficult but necessary decision to enter liquidation in this market.' The company said its Irish operation has struggled for some years, impacted by a range of factors including 'supply-chain and in-market costs, and squeezed consumer spending'. New Look employed a total of 347 people across its network in the Republic of Ireland.


The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
What can Rachel Reeves do to pay for Starmer's welfare U-turn?
Taken together, the cost to the public finances of recent reversals on welfare payments is estimated to be around £4.5bn. Restoration of the pensioners ' winter fuel payment for most recipients will cost some £1.2bn, while keeping the present arrangements on personal independence payment and the health element of universal credit will mean the chancellor loses some £2.1bn and £1.1bn, respectively. While these aren't catastrophic changes in a total public spending universe of about £1.3 trillion, Rachel Reeves allowed herself very little fiscal headroom. So she'll be looking to make up for the cost of the recent U-turns. Given that she's only just delivered a spending review that set out plans for the next three years, including tighter budgets for many government departments, she is reportedly more willing to consider tax hikes. The uncertain outlook for economic growth will make her even more cautious. Despite constraints, she has some options… What won't Rachel Reeves do? All the signs are that she won't make any further changes that could be interpreted as a direct contravention of the 2024 general election manifesto promise: 'We will ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible. Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase national insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of income tax, or VAT.' The 2 per cent hike in employers' national insurance at the last Budget hit smaller businesses quite hard, and will affect wage rises, so it was very close to the letter of that pledge. She's not going to go there again. But bear in mind that the freeze on tax thresholds will remain in place until 2028 – a hidden rise in income tax for many. Is anything else ruled out? Lots: there's a whole herd of sacred cattle that she can't touch, politically. These include the rate of corporation tax, about which the manifesto says: ' Labour will cap corporation tax at the current level of 25 per cent, the lowest in the G7, for the entire parliament'. Slapping VAT on zero-rated items is effectively ruled out, as are increases in most other business taxes. There's zero chance of any further capital gains tax being applied to homeowners, which would make eminent economic sense but would be electoral suicide. Reeves may also have run out of scope for squeezing rich non-doms – for fear of ending up with lower tax revenues due to flight and increased avoidance. Council tax procedures are being tweaked, but there is little chance of any thorough reform of the eccentric system of local government finance; memories of the imposition of the poll tax remain raw, almost four decades on. The big picture here is that the UK tax base is artificially narrow, for historical and political reasons. For example, personal taxation in the UK is still low by international standards, even when the overall tax burden is near a post-Second World War high, but UK business rates are correspondingly high and uncompetitive. Wealth is taxed marginally and haphazardly. This is bad for long-term growth, and every year means taxes are loaded too high onto a too-narrow base. What is an easy hit? Capital gains tax, as usual, but again Reeves will need to be careful not to go too far and risk discouraging savings and encouraging avoidance. The same goes for changing the rules on personal pensions: higher-rate tax relief on contributions and reducing the tax-free allowance for a cash withdrawal from a pension pot. Given the need for orderly retirement planning, radical changes would be undesirable and unpopular. But there could be adjustments. Will petrol go up? It certainly should. Unbelievably, fuel duty has been frozen since 2011, at 57.95p per litre, with an additional 5p per litre 'temporary' cut in 2022 to ease the cost of living crisis. Technically, this is due to be ended next year, with the duty now scheduled to rise. For Reeves to raise more than planned she'd have to up it by, say, 10p per litre. It would raise enough to pay for the U-turns, but would attract the scorn of the motorist and 'white van man'. The wider problem here is that the switch to electric vehicles is already depressing fuel duties. Sin taxes? Alcohol and tobacco are mostly maxed out, but there's still some scope with online gambling and duties on sugary and fatty foods. The sugary drinks levy worked very well on health grounds alone, but any 'tax on food' has always been anathema to the British public (albeit VAT is levied on confectionery). Reeves will also be mindful of the great 'pasty tax' fiasco of 2012 when George Osborne tried to make some rational changes to the VAT regime, including on 'ambient' takeaway food. His 'omnishambles' Budget soon collapsed, and Greggs customers have steadily got flabbier in the succeeding years. Rachel will be steering clear. What does the Labour left want? A wealth tax: a 2 per cent levy for those with assets in excess of £10m. No chance. What about a tax on interest the Bank of England pays the banks on deposits? That does crop up as a suggestion. It's very abstruse stuff, but this basically boils down to another tax on the commercial banks. It isn't paid by 'rich bankers' as such (though it might dent some bonuses) but by the banks themselves. Other things being equal, it would mean lower returns for savers, less availability of business finance and mortgages, and a less resilient banking system. The Bank of England says it could make managing monetary policy more difficult. But it could reduce the cost of borrowing to the Treasury by maybe £10bn a year. The chancellor may find the temptation irresistible.


Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
‘Big four' supermarkets accused of failing to back British farmers
Supermarkets have been accused of failing to back British farmers after trade deals triggered a surge in imports of meat from Australia and New Zealand. Livestock farmers said the 'big four' retailers are putting them at a disadvantage by selling imported beef and lamb alongside British produce at a time when the domestic agriculture industry is struggling. David Barton, a Cotswolds-based beef farmer and chairman of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) livestock board, said: 'It is disappointing, because what we're looking for as an industry is to grow production. We need confidence, and when supermarkets start messing around like this, it really doesn't fill us with confidence.' Most of the major supermarkets have made commitments to selling British beef and supporting domestic farmers. However, customers and farmers alike have noticed that meat from much further afield has begun appearing more frequently on shelves. Examples include a New Zealand-sourced Wagyu burger in Sainsbury's, Australian and New Zealand beef products in Morrisons, and a Uruguayan steak sold in Asda. After spotting a steak listing its sourcing as 'Australian or British', the Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron posted on X: 'This is appalling from Morrisons. They seek kudos for their UK sourcing but then sneakily do this, undermining British farmers and undermining their own integrity and brand.' Tesco also sells 300g lamb leg steaks that are 'produced in the UK or New Zealand'. A person familiar with the situation said the supermarket had not changed its sourcing policy. The outcry comes in the wake of British trade deals signed with Australia and New Zealand after Brexit, which have led to a surge in imports of meat from the two countries. Imports of fresh, chilled and frozen beef from Australia and New Zealand soared in 2024 after the trade deals came into effect. Meanwhile, imports of lamb from the two countries – which already supplied a significant proportion of the UK market – rose by 87pc and 26pc, respectively, last year. Neil Shand, the chief executive of the National Beef Association (NBA), said: 'We are not self sufficient on beef, so we have to accept imported beef into the UK every year to a degree. And as our self sufficiency drops and our food security weakens, we're having to accept more. 'What I don't like is when retailers put it on a shelf at a far reduced price from ours. If you price something at a cheaper price, you'll drive growth in that area, and it will have an even deeper impact on British production.' Supermarkets are currently embroiled in a price war as they battle to defend their market share at a time when living costs are putting pressure on consumers. British farmers are grappling with a cattle shortage that has pushed the price of beef to record highs this year. Sarah Godwin, a dairy and egg farmer, said: 'Partly cost has led supermarkets to look in other directions, but I think they were always being encouraged to do so now with these trade deals.' Mr Barton said: 'If we don't give the UK producer the confidence to continue to produce and produce more, the situation just gets worse and worse. To have a secure supply chain, it's better to start at home and make sure you look after that.' Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: 'Given the pressure on British farmers at the moment, retailers are paying more for their produce. 'However, retailers are also facing additional costs and are working incredibly hard to limit price increases for consumers where many are struggling to afford the essentials.' Jake Pickering, of Waitrose, said it was 'sad to see other supermarkets shift away from home grown beef' and that it had 'no intention of following suit'. Discount retailer Lidl reaffirmed a commitment to British beef this week, saying it would not import or switch sourcing to any suppliers outside of the country. An Asda spokesman said: 'We always look to offer customers a wide choice of products to suit all budgets. These steaks were provided by a branded partner and were available in our stores for a limited time only. All of Asda's own brand fresh beef continues to be sourced from farms in the UK and Republic of Ireland.' A Morrisons spokesman said: 'Morrisons remains 100pc British on all our meat counters. In our aisles - alongside our New Zealand lamb - we are introducing trials of some imported meat from trusted suppliers to help us offer outstanding value through the seasons and through any supply fluctuations.' A Sainsbury's spokesman said: 'We offer two summer premium Wagyu products from New Zealand, which make up just 0.1pc of our total beef range. 'We have an unwavering, long-term commitment to British farming and this has zero impact on our approach or existing partnerships. The country of origin is also clearly labelled to ensure our customers can make informed choices when they shop with us.' While imports from Australia and New Zealand have risen, most supermarkets have ruled out allowing American beef to be sold in Britain amid concerns over standards, despite Sir Keir Starmer agreeing a trade deal with the US earlier this year.