Quote from: Franko on March 28, 2024, 10:26:05 AMThat's like saying if Diaego announce a price increase, why don't Heineken? Or Tennents?Quote from: general_lee on March 27, 2024, 10:26:12 PMQuote from: Tony Baloney on March 27, 2024, 01:53:24 PMThey'll be heavily backed by whatever group they're owned by so not as much risk attached, compare thatQuote from: general_lee on March 27, 2024, 12:11:01 PMSo why is a pint in Belfast £6+?I was in Belfast over the weekend and plenty of hoardings up around construction sites for new "coming soon" bars, restaurants etc. You'd think Belfast is a saturated market but business owners must think there is profit to be made from the tourist sector in particular.
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?
Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.
There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.
Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.
Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.
Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.Quote from: Franko on March 27, 2024, 04:14:14 PMBeannchor are the cabal. They can set prices to whatever they want in their establishments and people will pay it. A few others often follow suit but that's a lot different to saying the Downeys, Conlons etc are all in on it.Quote from: general_lee on March 27, 2024, 12:11:01 PMSo why is a pint in Belfast £6+?
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?
Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.
There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.
Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.
Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.
Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.
Bollocks
As someone pointed out, Beannchor Group posted a 5m (net... I repeat net) profit after tax on a 28m turnover in 2022.
They are printing money
And wanting an already underfunded BCC to put the cherry on top
The size of the Beannchor group is largely irrelevant
If they "can set prices to whatever they want in their establishments and people will pay it" then why can't others?
It's not as if the people of Belfast flock to Bill Wolsey's pubs out of love for the man
The size of the group is very much relevant, more so when they have 3 or 4 outlets slap bang in the Cathedral Quarter - two of which happen to be arguably the most popular bars in Belfast. If all 4 start charging a premium for a pint and one outlet struggles (unlikely), it's no major problem as it can be easily offset by the other 3 that are probably raking it in.
The Downeys might hypothetically see the Dirty Onion next door up their prices and think they want a slice of the action, and both bars will probably get away with it. That's not the same as them all sitting around with Colin Neill at the head of the table deciding how much the next price increase will be, as some people seem to suggest.