PINTS are about to get even more expensive in Fermanagh.
International alcohol distributor Diageo will increase the price of its draught beers by at least 5p. These include Guinness, Harp, Carlsberg, Hop House 13, Smithwicks and Rockshore.
Meanwhile, Guinness 0.0, the non-alcoholic version, will go up by as much as 10p. The hikes will come into effect on April 19.
Beer prices in the county will go up depending on each pub’s individual costs as the cost-of-living crisis continues to show no sign of easing.
“The price rises are inevitable. Our electricity bill today has gone up by 300 per cent compared to three years ago. It’s an unfortunate reality but one we just have to face,” Una Burns, bar manager of Charlie’s Bar in Enniskillen, said.
“We’ll have to do a bit of number crunching here first before we make any price changes, but all of us as publicans are very wary not to pass too much expense on to the customers. It’s about trying to find a balance.
“The cost of everything in the business has gone up. The rate that everything is going up is quite shocking at the minute.”
News of the increase in the list price across the full range of the company’s draught products came in a letter to its customers in Northern Ireland last week.
“We continue to face increased inflation costs across our business and as a result we have informed our Northern Ireland on-trade customers that there will be a price increase on our draught beer range,” a Diageo spokesperson said in a statement.
“This increase will be across the full Diageo draught beer range.’’
Last month Diageo announced the operating costs of its Northern Ireland business had jumped by 25 per cent to £73 million.
Pubs and bars in rural areas in Fermanagh will also be feeling the pinch as footfall is much less in these areas and trade during the week is quieter than in more populated places.
On a more positive note, compared to other towns and cities in the North, alcohol prices in the county are still reasonable.
To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link… Subscribe to current edition
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere