Cost of a pint in NI set to increase as Diageo hikes prices
The cost of a pint looks set to rise after drinks giant Diageo revealed it is set to put prices up from from April 3.
Diageo’s increase on list prices of draught beers was communicated to publicans on March 20 and varies by product, with the list price for Guinness understood to have gone up by 13p per pint.
A spokesperson for Diageo said: “Like many businesses, we have seen significant inflation in input costs across our operations.
“As a result, we have written to our Northern Ireland customers in the on-trade to advise them of an increase on our draught beer range.
“The price change will be applied across the whole Diageo draught beer range and will take effect from April 3, 2023.”
Publican Pedro Donald, below, who claims to sell one of the cheaper pints of Guinness in Belfast at the The American, on Dock Street said: “They’ve sent us all out a list of price increases and I’m going to have to put my price of a pint of Guinness up.
“I haven’t done the exact calculations yet but at the minute, in The American the price is £4.40 for a pint of Guinness.
“With this, it will probably be an increase of 10p, bringing it to £4.50.
“I think I’ll be ok because I’m cheaper than most of the town anyway. In most other places, you’re paying well over a fiver a pint. In my case, yes, it’s 10p, but at least it’s not pushing me over the £5 point.”
Meanwhile John Bittles, the owner of Bittles Bar on Belfast’s Upper Church Lane, predicted price increases of 30p or 40p per pint in most city centre bars — including his own.
“I charge £5.20 a pint at the minute so I foresee my prices going up to £5.50 or £5.60 as a result of the Diageo increases.
“But I don’t like to put up prices and I try and put it off as long as I can.”
