A POPULAR UK pub chain with several Glasgow branches is set to hike beer prices in a fresh blow for punters.
Stonegate Group, which owns boozers such as Slug & Lettuce, Walkabout and Popworld, says the change will come into force from Friday, May 2.
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Stonegate Group is set to hike beer pricesCredit: Roddy Scott
Their portfolio also includes The Merchant, Home, The Ark and The Howgait in Glasgow, among others.
Bosses say the move follows “significant cost pressures and challenges” affecting the hospitality industry.
The sector was hammered by closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and was immediately dealt another blow by supply issues and the cost of living crisis.
A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “Our annual price review this year reflects the significant cost pressures and challenges faced by our sector over the last 12 months.
“We are absolutely committed to supporting our publicans, enabling them to continue to play the vital role in the communities they serve.”
Stonegate is hiking beer and other booze selling prices by 4% for its leased and tenanted pubs.
Boozers will likely then have to push this cost onto drinkers, which could add an extra 15 to 20p onto drinks.
For example, a pint like Hofbräu Original Lager that typically costs £5.50, could now cost £5.75.
Similarly, the Thistly Cross Traditional Sparkling Apple Cider that would usually sell at £5, could increase to £5.20.
A number of pubs are also warning they will have to hike prices for customers this year after the Government‘s Autumn Budget.
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Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the national minimum wage are both rising.
But businesses have cautioned this will force them into upping the price of drinks as they try and absorb the extra costs.