Shepherd Neame, the oldest brewer in Britain, has warned that prices in its pubs are set to increase due to rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. With 303 pubs and hotels predominantly

located in Kent and London, Shepherd Neame claims that the pressures of inflation have negated their recent upturn in profits. As a result, the company predicts that price rises in its bars are imminent. Chief Executive, Jonathan Neame, said, "I think prices will continue to go up – that's inevitable." Neame also said that the hospitality sector had been experiencing inflation "significantly more than the headline national inflation" and is still feeling the effects of the pandemic and current cost of living crisis.

Food prices in the company's establishments have not yet risen, but Neame added, "We will do our level best to keep good value for money and try and keep the pub experience affordable for people, but there is still a significant amount of inflation." He noted that the hospitality industry had hoped the crisis would have been shorter, and they would have bounced back fully by now. However, he anticipates that it will be 2024/25 before they can hope to recover to where they were. Photo by Oast House Archive, Wikimedia commons.