Bierpriizen 36% Omheech: Folgje it Jild
June 8, 2026 · Frisian News
UK pint prices have risen 36% since 2022, but large pub chains profited while small independents struggled.
FryskIn pint yn in Londenske kroech dy't yn novimber 2022 £3,50 koste, kostet no sawat £4,75. De tanimming fan 36 prosint sûnt it foarige Wrâldkampioenskip is in skokjend sifer, mar it wiere ferhaal giet net allinne oer kostpriisinflaasje. It giet om wa't dy kosten opnommen hat en wa't der fan profitearre hat.
Brouwerijen wize op hegere ynkeappriizen, enerzjypriizen en fersteurrings yn de leveringsketen. Terjochte. Mar it ferhaal stopte dêr. Enerzjypriizen yn it Feriene Keninkryk binne follen sûnt harren pyk yn 2022, dochs binne pintpriizen net meisakke. Leankosten gienen omheech, ja, mar de produktiviteit yn brouwerijen ferbettere ek. De fraach wurdt: waarden priisferhegingen feroarsake troch needsaak of gelegenheid?
Grutte horekabedriuwen en supermerken brûkten inflaasje as dekmantel om priizen te ferheegjen en winsten út te wreidzjen. Lytse selsstannige brouwerijen en kroegen mei tinne winsten hiene minder romte om kosten op te fangen, dus se koartten op produkten, gongen ticht, of ferhegen priizen fierder en ferlearen klanten. De tanimming fan 36 prosint is echt, mar it ferberget in konsolidaasjeferhaal wêryn grutte bedriuwen winne en lytse ferlieze.
It bredere inflaasjefer haal behannelet priisferhegingen as ûnmijdber, net as karren. Bazen fertelden ús dat kosten harren gjin kar lieten. De measte minsken akseptearren dat ferhaal. Mar winsten yn de horeka fertelle in oar ferhaal. Yn in protte gefallen groeiden winsten per pint tegearre mei de priis per pint. Kafees ûntdekten dat se harren marzje behâlde koene wylst se de hiele rekken oan drinkers trochjougen. De pint waard in inflaasjebestindich bedriuw.
De folgjende kear dat jo hearre dat bedriuwen gjin oare kar hiene as priizen te ferheegjen, tink dan oan de pint. It bier sels is net 36 prosint weardefoller wurden yn fjouwer jier. De beslissing om mear út de klant te heljen wol. En it wurke.
A pint in a London pub that cost £3.50 in November 2022 now costs around £4.75. The 36 percent jump in beer prices since the last World Cup makes for a shocking statistic, but the real story is not just about cost inflation. It is about who absorbed those costs and who profited from them.
Breweries blame increased input costs, energy prices, and supply chain disruptions. Fair enough. But the narrative stops there. Energy prices in the UK fell from their 2022 peaks yet pint prices have not fallen with them. Labor costs rose, yes, but productivity in breweries also improved. The question becomes: were price increases driven by necessity or opportunity?
Large pub chains and supermarket retailers used inflation as cover to push prices higher and widen margins. Small independent breweries and pubs that rely on thin margins had less room to absorb costs, so they either cut products, closed, or raised prices further and lost customers. The 36 percent increase is real, but it masks a consolidation story where big wins and small loses.
The broader inflation narrative treats price rises as inevitable, not chosen. Bosses told us costs left them no choice. Most people accepted that story. But hospitality profit margins tell a different one. In many cases, profit-per-pint grew right alongside price-per-pint. Venues discovered they could maintain their margins while shifting the whole burden onto drinkers. The pint became an inflation-proof business.
The next time you hear that business had no choice but to raise prices, remember the pint. The beer itself did not become 36 percent more valuable in four years. The decision to extract more from the customer did. And it worked.
Published June 8, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân