Heineken to provide support to hospitality sector following keg price hike

Heineken Ireland has advised its customers that for the next three-month period the company will support them with a 3.5% discount on all keg deliveries.

Fri, 25 Nov, 2022 - 00:00

Cáit Caden

Heineken Ireland will provide hospitality business operators with a transition discount for a three-month period following the company’s recent decision to increase the on-trade price of kegs from December 1.

Heineken Ireland has advised its customers that for the next three-month period the company will support them with a 3.5% discount on all keg deliveries. This will apply to all Heineken Ireland brands including Murphy’s Stout and Orchard Thieves cider.

“As stated previously, Heineken Ireland is facing unprecedented pressures across all input costs and has no choice but to pass on some of these cost increases, through an increase in wholesale keg prices,” said the brewer.

“The challenges created by these cost pressures have not changed and therefore the 9% price increase announced previously takes effect on 1st December 2022,” it added.

This temporary support for publicans, hoteliers and restaurant comes as the brewer faced backlash in relation to the timing of the price increase as many business owners are struggling with other costs such as surging energy bills.

Heineken Ireland’s pandemic-related support for the Irish hospitality sector totalled €19m as the Cork-based brewer took back hundreds of thousands of kegs of its lager, cider, and stout brands for free and implemented a series of targeted supports to stimulate the recovery of the sector.