Molson Coors said it had raised the wholesale selling price on the majority of its draught products by 2.4% from Monday, 9 January. It said it had been working to manage production costs and had worked hard to keep its rises​ to a minimum.

The brewer boasts beers including Doom Bar, Carling, Staropramen and Coors.

Increase at 'minimum level'

A spokesman for the brewer said: “At the headline level, we will be raising the published wholesale selling prices on the majority of our draught products by approximately 2.4% as of 9 January 2017.

“At Molson Coors​, we are constantly working to manage the variety of different costs associated with the production and supply of our beers, and will continue to do so.

“We are dedicated to managing all production costs and offering a high-quality and good-value product to our customers. The price increase has been kept to the minimum level required to enable us to continue to invest in our business and customers, and to deliver great customer service and well-supported beer brands.”

Ongoing pressure

AB InBev, which produces Budweiser, Corona, Bass, Boddingtons and Stella Artois, has increased its prices by 2.3% on average. It said this reflected the ongoing pressure on the beer industry.

James Rowe, head of pricing & revenue management at AB InBev UK & Ireland said: “​We have communicated to customers that from 1 February 2017 we will be increasing our wholesale price by an average of 2.3% across our portfolio (duty inclusive). This is part of our regular price reviews and reflects ongoing pressure in the beer industry.

“We always look to keep any increases to a minimum for our customers, while ensuring we maintain the right balance between costs and revenues so we can continue to invest in our brands and support our company’s long-term future.”

Other brewers including Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken and Charles Wells are yet to reveal any pricing changes for 2017.