Price of popular beer hiked in supermarkets including Sainsbury's and Morrisons

The price of popular beers drunk by Brits has shot up across major supermarket chains including and .

According to analysis from, pre-promotional prices of 15 out of 24 San Miguel products stocked in the big four UK . Some as much as 38%, while only one saw a decrease.

The biggest price rise seen was for single 6660ml bottles of San Miguel, which went up by an average of 34p - or 15.5% - to £2.55 a bottle since January 1. In Sainsbury's, the prices have been hiked twice from £1.99 to £2.75 since the start of the year. In Morrison's, the Grocer found that prices had risen from £2.20 a bottle to £2.50.

In , the supermarket chain had switched the 660ml bottle to a 620ml one, and cut the price from £2.05 to £1.94. The Grocer reported that multi-packs of the product had also been affected. The pre-promotional price of 4x440ml cans of San Miguel had increased by an average of 4.6% - or 26p to £5.94.

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In Sainsbury's, the pack of four beens had gone from £5.45 to £6 - which is an increase fo 10.1%. Larger packs containing 10 440ml beers also increased by an average of 10p across the retailer, with the average price sitting at £13.20.

Sainsbury's and Morrisons told the Grocer that prices were impacted by a "range" of factors. Asda did not respond to the request for comment.

San Miguel is brewed by Mahou San Miguel (MSM) and is part of the Budweiser Brewing Group (BBG), which also owns the popular brands, including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona, Becks, Camden Hells, and Leffe. Since 2021, the group has also distributed the brewer's Mahou beer.

A BBG spokesperson told the Grocer, "While we do not set retail prices, we are aware of recent increases driven largely by government imposed duties and new packaging taxes, which have increased production and distribution costs across the industry."

They added: "San Miguel remains a consumer favourite, and we look forward to activating it this year with exciting marketing and trade campaigns."

In July 2024, Budweiser Brewing Group announced that it would distribute San Miguel in the UK from January 1, taking over from Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC).

At the time of the announcement, Alberto Rodríguez-Toquero, Managing Director of Mahou San Miguel, said: “Today’s announcement marks a new chapter for Mahou San Miguel in the UK, as we partner with Budweiser Brewing Group to bring the ’s most loved Spanish beer to a larger number of UK consumers.

"This agreement further extends the relationship between our two companies, the UK is an important market for San Miguel and we are confident that Budweiser Brewing Group will succeed in fulfilling our ambitious plans for the brand.”

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