Guinness slammed for 'unfair' price hikes in UK as demand soars

Pub owners person accused Guinness' genitor institution of unfair terms hikes (Image: Getty)

Fears of a nationalist Guinness shortage past twelvemonth had drinkers rushing to their locals to get their hands connected the achromatic worldly - but present a caller situation is facing the fashionable Irish beer.

Pub owners person complained of an “unfair” hike successful the terms of Guinness handed down by its British-based proprietor Diageo, the multi-national beverage institution besides down Smirnoff and Gordon’s gin.

With Guinness continuing to fertile arsenic the country’s favourite beer, request is expected to emergence further arsenic sports fans stitchery to ticker the Six Nations this play - but publicans are acrophobic they’re losing retired connected precocious profits owed to “unexplained” terms hikes.

Pauline Forster, who owns The George Tavern successful London, told The Telegraph: “They enactment the prices up each the clip with nary explanation. There is cipher to ringing up and you can’t adjacent get a reply connected the website.”

Anthony Pender, laminitis of the pub and edifice radical Yummy Collection added that the outgo of a keg of the portion had risen by 37%, astir £81, since the COVID pandemic.

Net income of Guinness grew by 13% successful the six months to December 2024 (Image: Getty)

“It’s our worst gross nett point connected the bar,” helium told the publication. “It’s conscionable denting our margins erstwhile we request decent margins to wage staff.

“They’re flogging the aureate goose, successful a way, by conscionable radically expanding their prices and sidesplitting our margins.”

“A fewer years ago, Guinness was a precise aged fashioned drink, thing you’d subordinate with aged ladies who’d person a stout earlier bedtime,” Clive Price, managing manager of Barons Pub Company said. “Now it’s the astir trendy pint connected the bar.”

Mr Prince besides suggested that Diageo had taken vantage of this popularity spike to beryllium “fairly assertive with their terms rises”. “They’ve been nudging it up much than anyone other for the past 4 to 5 years,” helium added.

A spokesperson for Diageo said: “Guinness is priced precise competitively successful the marketplace and the mean terms of a pint successful the UK is really 15% little than the mean for satellite premium lagers.

“We person invested importantly successful gathering the marque and successful delivering precocious prime pints successful pubs crossed [the] country, each of which has made Guinness a footfall generator for pubs and bars.”

Guinness saw its nett income turn by 13% successful the half-year to December - and Diageo was forced to raid its information stocks successful Ireland to plug a spread successful request successful the UK amid fears of a shortage earlier this winter.

The steadfast has warned that US President Donald Trump’s projected tariffs connected imports could spell occupation for its caller precocious performance, however.

Diageo bosses said the 25% tariffs planned for imports from Canada and Mexico would deed its tequila and Canadian whiskey products the hardest and could spot profits driblet by £161 million.