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Beer in Germany set to go up in price

There's bad news for lovers of Germany's national drink. Three leading breweries have announced that the price of beer will increase next year.

A server with two big beers at a festival in Straubing, Bavaria, in August.
A server with two big beers at a festival in Straubing, Bavaria, in August. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Armin Weigel

The Radeberger Group, Krombacher and Veltins breweries say they plan to hike up their prices in both the hospitality and retail trade sectors next spring, DPA reported on Tuesday.

According to estimates by the industry service GetränkeNews, the price increases are likely to make a glass of Pils, Export or Weizen in the Kneipe (pub) or bar between 30 and 50 cents more expensive. The price of a crate of beer will probably rise by a euro.

Germany’s largest brewery group Radeberger justified the move by pointing to the rising cost of utilities and supplies.

“In addition to massive losses in turnover and earnings during the 18 months of the pandemic, all companies are now facing further quite massive cost increases for energy, logistics, empties as well as raw materials and supplies,” a company spokeswoman said.

READ ALSO: Can Germany’s small breweries survive the coronavirus crisis?

A Veltins spokesperson pointed out that costs in the energy sector alone had risen by over 150 per cent in the past three years.

“This can no longer be absorbed,” he said. The planned price increase therefore applies to the catering industry as well as to the retail trade.

Krombacher pointed out that the last major price adjustment was three years ago.

Industry experts say they believe other breweries will follow the example of Radeberger and Co. “Beer will become more expensive across the board in spring 2022,” experts predicted.

In the eyes of the brewery firms, there are good reasons for price increases.

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, there has been a significant drop in prices on the market. That’s because retailers tried to encourage customers to buy more beer during the tough shutdown months.

READ ALSO: From ‘crisis beer’ to crowdfunding: How German small brewers are getting creative during the pandemic

Furthermore, people in Germany drank less beer during the crisis than at any time since reunification. In the first half of the current year, domestic sales fell by almost five percent to a low of 3.3 billion litres, the Federal Statistical Office reported in the summer.

The brewing industry lacked business above all in the catering trade and at the many large events that had to be shelved. The only bright spot was the sale of bottled beer in the retail trade – but that meant only a few large breweries profited.

However, beer lovers still have a grace period before the new prices come in: Radeberger does not want to start raising prices until February. Retail prices may even not rise until May. Krombacher and Veltins want to up their prices at the beginning of April.

And there is still the hope that some breweries, in view of the fierce competition, will not go along with the wave of price hikes in the end.

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MONEY

Going to a Danish music festival? Beware of fake online tickets

Scams involving event tickets are not uncommon during Denmark’s summer music festival season, the country’s digital authority has warned.

Going to a Danish music festival? Beware of fake online tickets

Denmark’s Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) has urged anyone hoping to pick up a festival ticket at short notice to “be critical” when purchasing passes online.

In a press release, the agency outlined what it calls “simple advice” to help consumers avoid losing money on shady festival tickets.

The NorthSide festival in Aarhus kickstarts Denmark’s summer festival season on 6th-8th June, followed shortly afterwards by the Heartland festival at Egeskov on the island of Funen, both from June 13th to June 14th.

For lovers of hard rock and metal the Copenhell festival from June 19th to June 22nd is not to be missed.

Then, for the weekend of June 27th-29th, the festivities move back across the Great Belt Bridge for the Tinderbox Festival in Odense on Funen.

The month of music then culminates with Denmark’s oldest and largest music festival, Roskilde, between June 29th and July 6th, although arguably all the biggest days are in July. 

Several of these festivals have already sold out of either one-day tickets or “partout” tickets that provide passes to the entire event.

READ ALSO:

That means tickets are now being sought on social media and other resale platforms, the digital agency writes.

“We’ve collected some good pieces of advice that will help members of the public to spot ticket sharks and prevent a good summer with friends and music from becoming a disappointing summer when scammers make off with your money and good mood,” Agency for Digital Government deputy director Lars Bønløkke Lé said in the statement.

“Scammers don’t go on holiday and festival ticket sales are also an opportunity they try to capitalise on,” he said.

Four specific actions can greatly reduce the risk of getting scammed according to the agency.

These are:

  • Purchase tickets from official vendors only. Use their waiting lists if the tickets are sold out.
  • Be cautious about any offers you receive if you request a particular ticket in a social media post or ad, as these can attract scams.
  • A ticket set at a price far cheaper than can be found anywhere else is a sign of a possible scam.
  • If using Danish payment app MobilePay, you can check that the seller’s name appears on the payee MobilePay account before confirming your payment. You can then check that this name matches the name of the person or organisation from which you have agreed to buy the ticket. A discrepancy should raise a red flag. Similarly, if the seller unexpectedly asks you to send the money to an account other than their own, they are likely to be attempting a scam.
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