News Article Comments : Coors adds 3p to a pint

Coors Brewers is increasing its wholesale prices by 3p per pint from 29 September - citing massive cost inflation.

Coors has become the second major brewer, after InBev, to add a second price increase this year - Coors added 4p to a pint in February.

The Carling and Grolsch brewer said it made just 2p profit per pint in 2007 and the price of basic goods continues to rise.

“We are seeing input cost inflation of a magnitude that could cripple the UK beer industry,” said Coors chief executive Mark Hunter.

“Input costs, such as barley, diesel, metal and energy have risen well above inflation - barley, for instance, has gone up by more than 40% in the last year.

“It is no longer tenable to fully absorb the rate of input cost inflation and, after much deliberation, the company needs to make an extraordinary price increase of 3p a pint across on and off-trades from 29 September 2008.

“We have battled hard against the current trading environment with the support of our customers and a st