Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin warns pint in a pub could soon cost £10

20 June 2023 , 12:55
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The Wetherspoons boss said the price of a pint could reach £10 (Image: Getty Images)
The Wetherspoons boss said the price of a pint could reach £10 (Image: Getty Images)

The price of a pint could potentially reach double digits the Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has warned.

Talking to Andrew Marr on LBC radio Tim said there were "no limits" on prices during the cost of living crisis when asked about price rises.

The Wetherspoon boss said the cost of a pint of beer would "quite probably" reach £8 if things continue to go on as they are.

When questioned about the possibility of one day of the price reaching £10, he responded: “Andrew there are no limits.”

Tim said: "There are certainly some pubs that do that, and it’s gone up more than you would imagine.

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"Around the country – I go around the country visiting pubs and talking to our pub managers – whereas it’s not a fiver in our pubs, it’s a fiver in a lot of pubs from Penzance to Wick at the moment.

"So yeah, the price has gone up a hell of a lot."

The cost of brewing, alongside everything else, has risen due to higher energy costs, inflation, and supply chain issues.

In January of this year, the Brewdog CEO James Watt said that if energy costs continued to rise the brand's popular Punk IPA beer would have to go up to £27.50 a pint.

Sadly, pubs and brewers continue to struggle and pub closures in 2022 were near the highest level in a decade.

The Wetherspoon boss also touched on the idea that some breweries were reportedly watering down beer in order to save on costs and qualify for a tax break.

Fosters, Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen, and Bishop's Finger are among the beloved brews that have recently witnessed a reduction in their alcohol content.

However, the investigation by the Mail on Sunday found that companies were not cutting costs.

While the reductions may appear small, they generate a tax saving of 2p to 3p on every bottle/can.

Commenting on the move, Tim said: "Well, I think it's a crazy move.

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"But again, it's financed by tax because if you bring beer down to 3.4%, which is much lower than almost any beer you ever buy in the pub, you get a big tax break on the basis that of the incredibly stupid reasoning that people will drink less alcohol if they drink weak beer.

"That's just not the way people are. So I think it's a bad idea. Brewers have jumped on the bandwagon, they can't resist a 25 pence tax break, but we are going to try and avoid doing it.

"Well, we might have... but we want the proper strength beers.”

Ruby Flanagan

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