Production of AB InBev's brands' bottles. Credit: AB InBev.

Transnational beverage and brewing company Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev has announced it will increase the UK wholesale price of beers produced by its brands by 3.9% from 1 February 2018.

AB InBev owns major beer brands including Becks, Budweiser, Corona, Fosters and Stella Artois. It also has smaller brands in its portfolio, including Aguila, Brahma, Pilsener and Castle Lager.

The 3.9% price raise is higher than the UK inflation rate, which presently stands at 3%, but below the current retail price index of 4.1%. The percentage hike is estimated to equal a 10p-12p increase per pint of beer.

AB InBev follows competitor Molson Coors in announcing price increases this year. In January, Molson Coors, which owns major beer brands such as Carling, Coors and Worthington’s, announced a price increase across its portfolio of 3.2%-3.3%.

Both brands justified their decision to raise prices as a necessary response to increasing costs. Molson Coors talked specifically about the rising costs of packaging materials and ingredients; AB InBev spoke generally about heightened pressures on the beer industry and UK economy as a whole.

AB InBev’s president for Northern Europe, Jason Warner told The Telegraph in November: “There has to be an increase. We are starting to see the real inflation rate of the UK coming through and for our retail partners they will see it across all categories.”

This is not the first time the beer industry’s big players have responded to financial pressures by raising prices for UK consumers. Diageo, the parent company of Guinness, announced a 4% increase in the price of a 50-litre keg in January 2016. Molson Coors raised its wholesale price on most of its products by 2.4% and AB InBev by 2.3% in January 2017.