Pricing information seen by The MA showed the cost of various products in the drinks giant’s portfolio will rise from 1 April this year.
The price hikes include Guinness Draught, which will jump by 5.2%, equating to around 4p a pint, as well as a 13p increase in the list price of a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff Vodka.
Guinness 0.0, Guinness Microdraught, Guinness Draught in 440ml cans, Baileys, Casamigos and all RTDs will not be impacted by the markup.
Rising costs
A Diageo spokesperson told The MA: “Like all businesses, Diageo must carefully manage the rising cost of doing business through regular pricing review of our products.
“We have kept today’s cost price increase to a minimum, reflecting the rising costs in our supply chain. This increase allows Diageo to continue investing in our brands to bring high-quality stout and spirits to market, and to support investment in initiatives to drive mutual growth for our customers across the hospitality sector.”
This comes as the global drinks producer and supplier was recently forced to deny there were any shortages of the black stuff.
Last week, operators from across the sector told The MA orders of Guinness Draught in keg format have consistently been delayed or restricted in recent weeks.
High demand
Many also claimed to have found it difficult to get hold of cans of Guinness 0.0 over the festive period, with some still struggling to order enough to meet demand.
Some even said they had turned to other stouts due to fears the issue could continue ahead of the start of the Six Nations next month.
However, Diageo assured it was business as usual and that demand for Guinness was growing.
A Diageo spokesperson told The MA: “We have just come out of an extremely busy Christmas period, where Guinness in Great Britain was once again in high demand. It is business as usual as we work with our customers to manage distribution during and after peak periods, to efficiently replenish stock.
“We’re delighted that demand for Guinness continues to grow, and we thank our customers for their partnership in ensuring drinkers can enjoy high-quality stout.”
