Marston's and JW Lees delay price rises
Two more tenanted pub companies have pledged to help licensees by keeping a lid on price rises.
Marston's tenanted division boss Alistair Darby said: "We will be doing everything in our power to delay price rises until later in the year — and then keep them as low as possible. We will be trying our best not to put any rises through until after Easter."
Manchester brewer JW Lees plans to freeze the wholesale and retail price of its beers during 2010. However, any additional rises in beer duty or VAT would be passed on.
Managing director William Lees-Jones said: "We are putting our customers and licensees first and are pledging that we will not put up the wholesale or retail price of any JW Lees beers in 2010.
"We feel it would be cynical to hit our customers with increases since we have benefited this year from reductions in the price that we pay for both our raw materials and energy."
"We have also had a pay freeze in our business for 18 months."
The company said: "For every pint of JW Lees Cask Bitter that JW Lees sells at £2.10, there is 31p paid in VAT and 37p in beer duty, with tax representing 33% of the cost of a pint.
"UK beer duty is now the third highest in Europe and we are taxed at nine times the rate of that in Germany."
Marston's has increased its wholesale price for the free trade by 2%.
Charles Wells has already stated that it won't increase prices for tenants until 1 April, and Brakspear Pub Company has promised to freeze prices for its 145 tenants for the whole of 2010.
• Opinion by The PMA Team: Beer price rises are a test of character.
