Beer Wars - Pub chain cut price of a pint to 99p

by LotusFlower | January 2, 2009 at 04:32 pm

904 views | 27 Recommendations | 9 comments

JD Wetherspoon, the biggest high street pub chain in Britain is cutting the price of a pint of beer to just 99p. This is the same price that beer cost in 1989. Other pub chains are thought to be going to match this price as a beer war looks set to start across the UK.

This price cut comes at a time when the UK Government is urging supermarkets and pubs not to offer cut price alcohol and so try to fight the wave of binge drinking that is becoming endemic in British culture.

It also coincides with new reports that even one pint a day can cause health problems.

The stock market responded positively to Wertherspoons announcement with shares in the company going up.

Britain's biggest high street pub chain is to cut the price of a pint of beer to levels not seen since 1989 in a move likely to spark a price war.

JD Wetherspoon, which runs more than 700 pubs under the Wetherspoons and Lloyds No 1 brands, will from Monday cut the prices of a pint of Greene King IPA and a bottle of San Miguel premium lager to 99p. A bottle of Blossom Hill rosé wine will be £4.99. The average price of a pint of beer today is about £2.75.

Although Wetherspoon is no stranger to January sales, the depth and length of the price cuts has caused a stir among rival high street operators, many of which are expected to respond with similar cuts.

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Rachel Nixon

at 17:08 on January 2nd, 2009

That is so cheap. That's the same as a pint of beer cost in my college bar in 19.. (ahem - date erased for personal dignity reasons.)

Seriously, if beer is going to be this cheap across the UK, I share your concerns about an increase in the already large problem of binge drinking.

Amy Judd

at 17:14 on January 2nd, 2009

Wetherspoons is so cheap already - their food is good and really cheap, but this is too much.

I would even be in the pub all the time at these prices... maybe I shouldn't admit that.. never mind

Lee Lecu

at 00:33 on January 3rd, 2009

Now, we need that here in Canada- especially in BC!

Sputnic

at 04:15 on January 3rd, 2009

I still remember when that news would have made me happy. Large numbers of people losing jobs and cheap beer sounds like a bad mix to me

altrugon

at 13:04 on January 5th, 2009

Totally agree with you. The amount of money that BC get from alcohol it's ridiculous and I'm not talking about the huge taxes they add on top of the price.

BC says that it's in our own benefit, "they are trying to protect us". Well, I think ALL the benefit is going to their pockets.

Let's face it, alcohol is the best business this province has, and nobody want to loose the chicken with the golden eggs.

rbainfo

at 23:07 on January 5th, 2009

Photo taken by Karen Blakeman, Caversham

rbainfo has contributed a photo to this story.

Paul Easton

at 23:40 on January 5th, 2009

Surbiton - 'The Coronation Hall' pub. This building was originally a cinema - which opened on the day of King George V's coronation in 1911. It later became a bingo hall and a health club before being converted into a pub (part of the JD Wetherspoon chain) in the mid-1990s.

Photo: (c) Paul Easton 2007

Paul Easton has contributed a photo to this story.