Brau Union to raise beer prices by 2.9% from December

Austria’s Brau Union will raise beer prices for retail chains and restaurants by 2.9% from December 1, ORF reports. The Heineken subsidiary’s brands include Kaiser, Zipfer, Gösser and Wieselburger. The company raised prices by 3.2% last December.

Brau Union manager Simon Steyrl said rising costs for wages, transport, raw materials and packaging were driving the increase. The company first tries to offset higher costs through internal efficiencies, he said, but cannot absorb all of them.

How much of the increase reaches consumers in supermarkets and restaurants will depend on retailers’ and businesses’ pricing policies. Supermarkets often advertise discounts on cases of beer, ORF said.