The price of Guinness and Smirnoff will rise in pubs from 1 April after drinks giant Diageo confirmed its wholesale prices are going up.
The cost of Guinness Draught will rise by 5.2%, around 4p a pint, while the list price of a standard bottle of 70cl Smirnoff will go up by 13p.
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Tequila brand Casamigos, Baileys, Guinness 0.0, Guinness Microdraught and Guinness Draught in Can will not be affected.
Diageo told Money it was having to “carefully manage the rising cost of doing business” and that the company had kept increases to a minimum.
“This increase allows Diageo to continue investing in our brands to bring high-quality stout and spirits to market, and to support investment in initiatives to drive mutual growth for our customers across the hospitality sector,” the spokesperson added.
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It comes as a blow for pubs, which are anxiously waiting to hear details from the government about a support package for the sector.
They are facing a business rates hike in April announced in the budget, but it is understood the increase could be reversed.
Michelin-starred chef and pub owner Tommy Banks hit out at the government’s “crazy” pub package, describing it as a PR stunt and warning that it does not go far enough to help the hospitality industry.
Speaking to the Money blog after Sky News revealed a support package solely for pubs will be announced in the coming days, the Great British Menu winner said the industry is suffering a “death by a million paper cuts” and the government is “mad” for not doing more to support it.
“Well, it’s crazy, isn’t it? What about cafe owners? What about restaurant owners? It is crazy. What we want is a sustainable way forward to do business in this country and that needs to be a hospitality-wide package,” he said.
The 37-year-old described the decision as a “knee-jerk reaction” after pubs started a campaign to ban Labour MPs from entering.
