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THE PRICE OF draught pints are set to rise again, Diageo has confirmed.
Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Hophouse 13 will go up by six cents per pint on 3 February, excluding VAT. Guinness 0.0 will increase by nine cents per pint, excluding VAT.
Once VAT, duty and the pub margin are added it could result in an extra 30 cents for a pint – meaning pints could be well over €6 in many pubs and more than €7 in Dublin, according to Drinks Industry Ireland.
This will be the fourth price rise in two years.
The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) said the latest price hike is “a blow to an industry already on its knees” and many publicans will have to pass on the increase to consumers.
A Diageo spokesperson confirmed the increase, telling The Journal: “Like many businesses, we continue to face increased costs across our Irish operations.
“In an effort to offset these costs and to maintain a sustainable business in Ireland, we have advised our on-trade customers that there will be an increase to the list prices on our full draught product range.”
It is understood that Diageo is increasing the cost of its draught range due to wage inflation and the continuing rise in energy costs.
Pat Crotty, VFI CEO, said “publicans are being squeezed from every angle – rising energy costs, higher wages and government-imposed charges”.
“This latest price increase from Diageo adds yet another layer of financial pressure on pubs already struggling to keep their doors open.”
Crotty said it “isn’t just about the price of a pint, it’s about the survival of pubs across Ireland”.
The reality is that small, community-based pubs are at breaking point. Without additional support, particularly in rural areas, many will simply not survive.
The VFI is among those who have repeatedly called for the hospitality VAT rate to be reduced from 13% to 9%. Under the new Programme for Government, it is understood that this reduction will happen.
As government formation talks reach a conclusion, the VFI has called on the new coalition to introduce more targeted reliefs for the pub sector including a reduction in excise duty, a reduction in the top VAT rate from 23% to 21%, and employer PRSI reductions.
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Ireland. Las Vegas prices. Skid row services.
@David Field: Why does Las Vegas get to have them?
@David Field: I spent yesterday in a hospital while a relative was getting assessed and treated. The kindess, care, attention and professionalism with which he was treated was mind-blowing. From porters and catering staff, through radiographers, nurses and doctors, the way he wad treated was exemplary. So stuff your Skid Row! (Damn fine rock group though!)
@Me Me: Dilusional.
@Me Me: Must have been a private hospital.
@Me Me: I have never heard anyone criticize the coal-face workers in the health services, all agreed they’re fantastic, it’s getting into the hospitals that’s the problem!
@David Field: 10 to 15 euro a pint in Las Vegas
@Brian Hunt: too true but unfortunately it’s easier for some to spout nasty comments and tarnish all health service workers with an attention seeking hurtful comment that isn’t true. Had my 4yr old in A&E of a Saturday after he getting himself a nasty gash on his forehead. In and out of A&E in 2.5 hrs approx after assessment, x-ray, stitched and bandaged by some of the nicest people to grace the service both Irish and foreign. The Indian nurse even went and gave him her kitkat from her lunch. I couldn’t speak highly enough no. 1 of the service and no. 2 everyone we met. It’s not perfect but damn it’s the best in the world and they are the best in the world when it works.
@The Firestarter: Nope. Public.
Pubs in Dublin are finished they can keep their pints
@liam ward:
Well said Liam Too greedy.
@liam ward: They can charge what the like. I’ll always avail of the lovely pints.
@liam ward: 100 percent dont drink in town anymore rip off
Worst thing to happen to the drink was selling it and especially to a London company. That’s waffle they just want more money for shareholders.
@Orban Orban: They can shove it, not paying those prices. Absolute rip off as it stands, without increasing it further.
Pubs already have much reduced footfall, this will accelerate that trend. To survive, pubs need to band together and have a co-operative to strongarm the cartel (just two companies, Heineken and Diagio) when purchasing.
I read somewhere that the Aviva Stadium threatened one of the big two that they’d import their drinks from the UK or Germany – result was ~€100 reduction in the keg price.
Small pubs need to band together and facedown the cartels. Problem is, many Irish pubs are small family run businesses or retired folk who are just running a pub as a hobby.
@Laois Weather: and these small family pubs and hobbyists don’t have the business ense or apetite to take on the cartels.
@Laois Weather: There’s a business opportunity for you – create a purchasing group.
Create a little outfit that can consoldate orders from pubs and place them on their behalf, as if they were a large chain.
Allow members to join on the understanding that the process will only go live when a certain number have joined.
With the number of people drinking in Ireland dropping by 31% over the past 20 years they won’t have many people to sell it to in 20 years time if they keep putting up the prices.
@John: young people that can’t afford houses will have plenty of money for the booze
@Brian Molloy: what about the rent money eh?
@Brian Molloy: not as many young people are drinking as in the past!
@Brian Molloy: also renting is much dearer than a mortgage
I’m glad I rarely ever drink now.
It’s insanely expensive to go for a few pints these days.
@Fergus O’Donnell:
Same here Fergus gave up years ago, along with the smokes,and life is so much better.
@Fergus O’Donnell: we were told that drink was expensive because of heavy taxes on alcohol. Why isn’t 00 Guinness half the proof standard pint.
@thomas molloy: you’re right. It should be!
@Dan Murphy: life is way better without them.
Why the price increase on 0.0? Surely they should be encouraging people to cut down on alcohol consumption.
@Conor: Why should we reduce alcohol consumption when we’re constantly bombarded with shite like this? It’s non-stop from every direction.
@Conor: Ridiculous isn’t it. Should be half the price of a pint.
@Conor: they don’t care what you drink!!as long as they can make
@Conor: I could be mistaken,I think it’s the higher cost to burn off the alcohol when brewing the 0.0 ,
Could be wrong though.
@Ian Heaton: we need those greens out of government
@Ian Heaton: maybe because of the amount of assaults, overdoses, drug use while drinking, rapes, drink driving, crashed murders etc that happen when people are under the influence of alcohol, it should be banned outright
@he didnt take the 120k because he already got it s: You’ll find it’s the same names in the courts reporting sections of the local newspapers. Nearly always, multiple and dozens of previous convictions. But yeah, the 99% of people who can enjoy a few pints without engaging in any of the above should have their enjoyment banned because a few can’t control themselves. What a ‘ban-it’ utopia you paint.
@larry smith: no duty to be paid though
@Conor:
diageo don’t want people drinking 0.0. Nobody is going to go out and drink 10 alcohol free pints like they would the full strength. pints. Its there as an alternative and. why would Diageo want people to drink less alcohol?
6 cent a pint will turn into 20 cents in the pub
@mark mc cann: did you not read the article, 6c will translate to 30c by the time everyone has their bite at the cherry
Stop subsidizing the Dáil bar, and no tabs.
I need some clarification after reading this.
The pint price is going up by 6c, before ‘VAT, duty and the pub margin’. Isn’t the VAT set at 13%, making a increase of 6c become 6.78c. The duty is based on something like 100litres and the abv of the pint ( or 500ml as many places actually use), so thatdoesn’t seem to change with this increase.
Which leaves ‘pub margin’. Their cost rises a little below 7c but are saying that would add 30c onto the price we’ll pay.
Where am I going so wrong with the maths?
@ben wu: You forgot the carry the 1.
@slippy clip: Which 1 am I not carrying?
@ben wu: You are correct. The pubs costs for staffing, electricity, insruance etc haven’t changed. If the price of a wholesale pint goes up 7c, then the pub can increase the retail price by 7c also, and still be making the same amount in margin/profit as before. There is no reason that they need to increase it more than that, so it’s purely a convenient cover to raise prices and get more profit.
@ben wu: Eg. Whole cost per pint is €5.00 and the pub sells for €5.30.
Now the wholesale cost is 5.07, pub could sell for 5.37 and still have 30c profit.
Publicans will use the false premise that the % of profit that they’ve made has decreased, relative to the wholesale price. However this is purely academic and they still make the same amount of profit (30c) as before if they pass on this 7c increase directly to the customer. But they won’t, as it’s an opportunity to make a larger profit. If they increase the retail price by 30c, that’s 23c extra profit. So now a wholesale pint costing them 5.07 will retail for 5.60, a profit of 53c.
Any Publicans increasing their prices by more than 7c is just greedy. None of their other costs have increased.
@Ciaran L: There’s either something very much off with our maths that I just don’t understand where we are going wrong with calculations, or there’s something else in play.
@ben wu: 23% vat on alcohol
@Pól Ó Broin: okay, at 23% , that 6c becomes 7.38c.. not exactly making the leap to 30c
@Ciaran L: their insurance costs for public liability should be decreasing as they have less customers overall, but insurance companies aren’t in the business of reducing their revenue.
@Ciaran L: Pubs would increase prices if people took their business elsewhere but they don’t
@ben wu: 13% vat is on food alcohol is 23%
This country needs to learn how to protest.
@Penny: Protesting over the price of alcohol. How sad.
@Penny: the alcoholics don’t mind
@Sun Rise: no over the ridiculous amount of times we are getting screwed over and we always just sit back and moan/do nothing, I wonder what it will take for people to actually say enough is enough and take to the streets. The children’s hospital, the bike shed etc etc
No wonder Pubs are closing.
Return flights to the UK and then on to Tenerife :€140 , 3 course meal :€10.95 , Pint in the sun :€1.50 , making memories : PRICELESS !!! An added bonus : The Spanish Government actually want to make life easier and more pleasant for their citizens and guests. The Irish Government have to have stories in the news at least 2 times every single day. They just can’t leave us alone.
@Paul Bannon: ’3 course meal 10.95′. Hmmmm…I go next door to Gran Canaria and I don’t believe what you said there. What kind of food is it?
@Kieran Conroy: I would typically go for Prawn cocktail salad to start, half roast chicken and chips for main and apple tart and custard for dessert. Tenerife is a lot cheaper than Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
@Kieran Conroy: McDonalds
@Paul Bannon: Fair enough. Sounds good!
@Kieran Conroy: it is true you can get a three course meal for €10,95. I’m here in Tenerife at the moment and I’ve seen a few places for that price we just live in the rip off Republic
Inflation went down, didn’t the prices? No they didn’t. The Irish public are being well and truly shafted.
@James T.Kirk: that’s not how it works, unfortunately
@James T.Kirk: inflation RATE went down. That means inflation was happening at a slower rate, but it was still happening. Prices are still inflating. What you need for prices to go down is deflation. Deflation = wages going down too….
@Ciaran L: rare that wages would go down in a deflationary environment, more likely be wage freezes and job losses. problem with the economic sound bites these days is the focus on economic growth as if it can increase infinitely. also its not “economic growth” in the old sense of the word, its normally correlated to the EU for FED running off the money printing press. what has been created now it not an economy in the traditional sense, but an economy akin to a ponzi scheme that can only be kept afloat with the constant printing of money, which in turn creates inflation and also debases the existing money in circulation.
My local, €6.70 a pint, €7.50 a glass of wine, it’s not worth it anymore, you come out after having some food and a few drinks for two people and about €90 spent.
@Philip Slevin: I would spend that on a bottle of red for Sunday lunch at home sounds like you got a bargain
It’s more of a shock when prices go down these days
@Dan The Man: They don’t go down though, that’s the problem. This increase will offset any potential price reduction brought about by the incoming VAT rate reduction. Joke of an industry, not sure how or why anyone drinks regularly in pubs anymore.
@Dan The Man: I don’t know if it is, because it’s never happened!!!
I was recently in Bulgaria, pint and captain and coke €6.00 total price. I thought he must have made a mistake but no… wonder why its so expensive here when its the same brand etc.
Getta yer pints of pi$$ in Temple Bar,only 13 yo yos.
@Gerard Carey: That’s for tourists, who’d drink there.
They really trying hard to shut down the local pubs. Would often go across to the local to watch the football. Probably won’t bother as the prices just keep rising.
More people on the powder
There is a lot to be said for wrtherspoons
Pints start at €2.05 up to €6 bepending on what you drink & which one your in as prices go up by about €1
@liam mc meel: ah lad a tory have you forgot
@liam mc meel: yah the cheapest is dishwater, and anything decent is 5 to 6 euro,
@liam mc meel: Yes but the smell of the great unwashed makes it a definite no no
£5 for a great pint of Guinness in a Galway pub here in London. Plus a ‘loyalty card’. After letting it run for 11 months I have 29 free pints owed to me since 1st Jan ’25
What are Diageo trying to do Kill the pub trade They are doing a good job
Bollocks, bollocks and more bollocks all-round. Capitalists strike again.
Madness. In Spain a pint of Heineken is €2.50. A pint of Spanish lager can be got for as little as €1.50. Go to Lidl where a can of local beer is 22 cent….
Still €4.80 in Achill island, I was travelling around the west of Ireland looking for quiet little pubs, most were around €5/€5.20 max was €5.70 for a Guinness. I think when pubs hear of an increase they use it as an excuse, especially in big towns and cities, small villages are more reluctant because of the regulars.
Even 0.0 going up,wow so much for encouraging people to drink it instead of alcohol
Bring on the closures and job losses…..well done
Keep going this way and pubs will be a thing of the passed
As if there wasn’t enough to contend with. Now this.
@Argus Romsworth: appeasing anti drink oddballs
@Argus Romsworth: who are a tiny tiny minority
Another absolute joke from Diageo, absolutley no need for this increase but for proffitering. I will be suggesting that my customer swap there choice of beverage to one which is not supplied by Diageo.
How many bars and restaurants close every week in this country? For many elderly people, these establishments are their primary source of conversation and companionship. Additionally, the loss of these venues impacts local jobs. The government needs to reconsider its alcohol tax policy and provide tax breaks to new local breweries to help them compete against the two major corporations dominating the market. There are many possible solutions, but it seems that no one is really bothered to address the issue.
Beggars belief- must be trying to shoot themselves in the foot???
Just smoke weed lads. Less expensive, better for your health and society as a whole.
Haven’t seen Harp in years!
@Me Me: you can get it in Dublin airport
@Me Me: Was just about to say that, cannot believe that anyone cou drink that gut rot.
@johnabc: drank it in 60s 70s 80 6 or 7 pints a night 10 on week ends till 1990 changed the taste to celebration harp never drank it after that don’t drink anymore pubs are gone probably the price
The VAT rate cut will come into effect but hotel and pub prices will stay the same. The customer is the one getting squeezed consistently while greed wins out.
It’s the insane spending of the government & in turn the massive indirect taxes that are the real problem. One of the highest cost of livings due to FG/FF cartel & SF and the other Marxists would only be worse
@Liam Nicholas: what does Marxist mean?
You’d wanna pay me to drink that Hophouse muck
Citing wages being too high explains VFI perfectly
Ah shur why not…determined to keep us behind closed doors and poor.
When you sell your Saul to the corporate devel what do you expect
@Robert Halvey: Learn how to spell.
I’m out. Stayed as long as I could.
Probably the fault of the Green Party….
@FoxyBoiiYT: Couldn’t possibly be anyone else’s fault.
Ban vaping in pubs and ban smoking outside pubs
The pubs will be half in number by 2026 – no enjoyment going out these days even on a limited basis. The level of anger and raw danger is palpable from people high on other stuff
@Tim Brennan: pubs not same as were lots be closing down 13 cent increase means pubs put 20 or 30 cent increase so in small town with no music be charged 6 for pint people will stay in
I’ll be lucky to get out once a month at this rate.
Witherspoons do a nice pint at a reasonable price, vote with your feet!
A pint of plain is yer only man.
If we had cheap pints there would be alot less people giving out about the government but unfortunately ffg seem hell bent on bleeding us dry at every turn. 5 more years of misery. Well done everyone
This why better off drinking couple cans home saving up and going to spain were not ripped off for food and drink plus accommodation cheaper weathers better too
Let’s be honest, pubs sell drugs. Legalised drugs, yes. But drugs nonetheless. Just buy what you need and have it in the safety and comfort of your home (if you have one.)
By the by, once the budget was announced and increases provided it stood to reason that manufacturers would increase prices which business would then pass on and so government claws its give away back.
The Publicans might well complain, but if you read the Article they are still adding on a % Increase as well to make the overall Increase as much as 30 Cents. If they are so concerned about their Customers and the Sector as well, why don’t they drop their part of the Increase.
Why would they be adding margin to it? Why not just charge the actual cost of the increase?
@John Moore: Exactly!!!
Didn’t they just reduce the tax to 9%
Crikey. So, no change from €20 for 3 pints of stout in Dublin? Schizen!
: am wrong with 30 cent will be 6 for pint in quiet pub with no music people will stay in . Already pubs in town live in are empty most weekend according to friend mine working in industry. Christmas was busy
Delighted, keep putting it up
But the Guinness store house is charging anything up to €70 for a tour, and it’s packed most days, and during the summer, you will see bus load after bus load of people going in but no we will hit the good folks of Ireland for more soon enough the pubs will have to stop selling some of guinness products
What our Government don’t realise is that continuous increases in pub pints means an increase in people drinking at home. This in turn results in an increase in alcohol consumption and the potential for increased health risks, which increases the burden on an already under resourced health care system. Sometimes you have to wonder??
They are killing their own industry, I’m sure you can see a direct correlation between the increasing prices leading to decreasing number going to pubs. Country pubs are already gone or going. The mission seems to have been to reduce drinking in pubs by the government and it looks like what they wanted is happening. No one goes for a few sociables anymore. It’s a rare treat only.
This would drive you to drink
@Tony Joyce: If you could afford it.
have your say