Sam Smith's prices

[Old Blue]

Anyone know why these seem to have rocketed recently? A year ago, central London Sams' pubs were selling Old Brewery Bitter at £2.11. A few months ago, this went up to about £2.72 I think and more recently to £2.90. I make that a 37.5% increase in a year. I never quite understood how they managed to keep it so cheap before, but this does seem a big rise and I wonder how much of this is cost push, whether they've worked out they'll do better being slightly cheap instead of extremely cheap, or part of other changes to their business model. Not that the beer's that great, but I do like a lot of their pubs for other reasons and it's always a bonus if it costs less.

[Mobyduck]

Iv'e no idea on the price hike but agree that many of their pubs are quite interesting,as for their beer I wouldn't pay £2,11 for it let alone £2.90,awful stuff.:sick:

[NickDavies]

Reading between the lines I reckon their cash flow isn't what is should be

http://samsmiths.info/forum/index.php?topic=2667.30

[Pubsignman]

I think, although I might be wrong, that this price increase is a London-thing.

Back in May I had a pint of OBB in the Dover Castle, Marylebone for £2.90 and then a fortnight later I had another pint of OBB in the Berkeley Hotel, Scunthorpe for £1.80.

[ROBCamra]

I had another pint of OBB in the Berkeley Hotel, Scunthorpe for £1.80.

You could have bought Scunthorpe for that never mind a pint. :p

[AlanH]

Iv'e no idea on the price hike but agree that many of their pubs are quite interesting,as for their beer I wouldn't pay £2,11 for it let alone £2.90,awful stuff.:sick:

I seem to be one of the few people who have always liked the rich malty taste of SS OBB. A bit of a cloying taste in a few pubs that didn't keep it properly but not "Boring brown bitter" at all when well kept. (which thread am I on? :confused::confused:).
As for the price, it has been so cheap for years. We returned from Wembley (watching Altrincham - it WAS a long time ago!) and were used to the general price of 40p a pint in London, so it was a pleasant reminder back home to be charged 40p for TWO pints of OBB in The Malt Shovels (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/3246/).
It will be a bit of a shock if it has crept over the £2 mark in the north :eek:

[hondo]

I noticed the prices were up when in London earlier this month not been to York this year usually in a few sam smiths pubs there hope its just a London thing.

[trainman]

No comment, having now reached the top of the thread :whistle:

[Mobyduck]

I seem to be one of the few people who have always liked the rich malty taste of SS OBB.

I guess thats what makes drinking beer interesting, if we all liked the same thing that would be boring. :cheers:

[gillhalfpint]

It was £1.90 in Colpitts in Durham when we were there March.

[oldboots]

I paid £3.60 last night for OBB in here (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/29139/)









that was for two pints of course :p

[Old Blue]

So if this is just a London thing, and none of their stated reasons for increases would seem logically to be peculiar to London, I guess this means they've been short of cash, and decided they could whack up prices in London without losing much business, whereas they wouldn't be able to do that elsewhere.