A price dispute between German supermarket chain Edeka and the world’s largest brewery group is threatening the beer supply at a store near you.
A dispute between supermarket chain Edeka and Belgian brewing company AB InBev threatens customers’ ability to buy a number of popular beers in future.
According to media reports, Edeka has rejected a price increase on a number of AB InBev beer brands which it stocks. The brewery has put the price of a number of its beers up by around 20 cents per bottle.
An Edeka spokesperson told the German Press Agency that “AB InBev is demanding a drastic price increase for its products in the amount of several million euros.” They added that the increase was not justified by actual cost increases in production.
A total of 80 products are affected by the dispute, many of which Edeka has decided to remove from its shelves or order smaller quantities of going forward.
Which beers are affected?
The price dispute applies to a number of popular beer brands, including the German brands; Beck’s, Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Spaten and Hasseröder.
A number of beer brands that originated in other countries are also affected; like Leffe (Belgium), Corona (Mexico) and San Miguel (Philippines).
Are these beers no longer available at Edeka stores?
So far Edeka has not suggested that the above beers would be completely taken off of their shelves.
The remaining stocks are currently still being sold, and Edeka suggests that its stored supply will keep the products on the shelves for some time to come.
“We still have enough goods in stock. Customers will continue to find the brands in our stores,” an Edeka spokesperson said.
READ ALSO: What your choice of German supermarket says about you
However, whether the brands remain on the store’s shelves after remaining stocks have been sold off depends on the outcome of ongoing negotiations.
Freshly filled beer bottles run along a conveyor belt in the bottling plant of the Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jens Büttner
AB Inbev, with its numerous global and regional brands, is considered the world’s largest brewing group. Last year, the company brewed almost 50 billion litres of beer.
Rising beer prices
Earlier this year, two other large German breweries, Krombacher and Veltins, raised their prices. Krombacher cited rising production and logistics costs for the price hike.
From Oktoberfest to your local Kneipe, beer prices have been inching steadily upward (along with the cost of just about everything else) but it’s also true that Germany has long maintained relatively low beer prices.
This international beer price ranking, based on Deutsche Bank data, has Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin among the cheapest cities for a pint in 2025 – just a few cents more than in Moscow or Prague.
One way that Germany maintains its low price for beers is having comparatively low taxes on alcohol. Meanwhile, experts at the German Centre for Addiction Issues’ (DHS) suggest that taxing alcohol a bit more would help avoid a number of alcohol related injuries and deaths each year.
READ ALSO: ‘Beer is cheap and everywhere’ – How Germany’s drinking culture surprises foreigners
That said, Germany has recorded falling beer sales in recent decades. This, combined with increased competition on international markets and increased production costs, has put German breweries in a tough spot.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that Germany had officially lost its spot at Europe’s largest beer producer.
The sale of non-alcoholic beer, however, has seen growth in Germany.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
