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Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Publicans' profits again
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Thanks to Edd Mather for sending me a fascinating document showing wholesale beer prices for May 1919.
It shows the prices agreed by regional brewers' associations for the various price-controlled classes, which at the time were 4d., 5d., 6d., 7d., and 8d. It's fascinating because there's considerable variation in the prices.
The problem with the system of price controls was that it only concerned retail prices, not wholesale ones. Brewers could, in theory, charge anything they liked. Though, obviously, they wouldn't want to bankrupt all their tenants. Despite that, a publican's profit margin was wafer thin.
Some of the prices - the Birmingham non-discounted ones, for example, don't seem to leave anything for the publican. The wholesale price of 4d. beer varied between 68/- in Sussex and 95/- in Birmingham.
PRICES. MAY 31. 1919. |
|
Locality. |
4d. |
5d. |
6d. |
7d. |
8d. |
1 |
Berkshire |
72/- |
80/- |
105/- |
120/- |
|
2 |
Bedfordshire |
72/- |
90/- |
106/- |
|
|
3 |
Burton (for Tied Trade) |
77/5 |
97/3 |
115/3 |
126/- |
144/- |
4 |
Bucks, |
72/- |
90/- |
102/100 |
126/- |
144/- |
5 |
Birmingham |
95/- |
- |
135/- |
155/- |
175/- |
|
do. Discount 20% |
76/- |
|
108/- |
124/- |
140/- |
|
do. 25% |
71/3 |
|
101/3 |
116/3 |
131/3 |
6 |
Bristol mininum |
69/- |
87/- |
104/- |
120/- |
|
7 |
Blackburn |
70/- |
- |
116/- |
|
|
8 |
Bolton |
69/- |
83/- |
98/- |
112/- |
|
9 |
Bradford |
72/- |
90/- |
108/- |
126/- |
144/- |
10 |
Cambs. |
74/- |
86/- |
108/- |
|
|
10a. |
Control Board Carlisle. |
71/- |
85/- |
|
|
|
11 |
Gloster and Wilts |
69/- |
87/- |
104/- |
120/- |
136/- |
18 |
Halifax |
72/- |
90/- |
108/- |
126/- |
144/- |
15 |
Hants |
74/- |
92/- |
112/- |
130/- |
|
14 |
Herts |
72/- |
90/- |
108/- |
126/- |
144/- |
10 |
Kent |
72/- |
88/- |
106/- |
124/- |
150/- |
16 |
Leicester (minimum gravities) |
|
80/- |
96/- |
112/- |
|
17 |
Liverpool |
70/- |
84/- |
100/- |
115/- |
|
18 |
London |
69/6 |
85/7 |
110/6 |
121/9 |
|
19 |
Lancs. |
69/- |
83/- |
98/- |
112/- |
|
20 |
Manchester |
69/- |
83/- |
98/- |
112/- |
|
21 |
Norfolk (prices not unlfonr) |
70/- |
84/- |
|
120/- |
135/- |
22 |
Northants. |
72/- |
84/- |
96/- |
108/- |
|
23 |
Northumberland and Durham |
72/- |
84/- |
|
|
|
24 |
Notts Maximum Discount 20% |
72/- |
84/- |
104/- |
|
|
25 |
Norwich |
70/74 |
86/- |
108/- |
|
|
26 |
Newcastle |
72/- |
84/- |
108/- |
- |
|
27 |
Oxford |
72/- |
|
108/- |
|
|
28 |
Potteries |
72/- |
86/- |
104/- |
120/- |
136/- |
29 |
Preston. |
70/- |
84/- |
99/- |
117/- |
132/- |
30 |
South Wales minimum. |
66/- |
78/- |
95/- |
120/- |
130/- |
31 |
Shrewsbury |
72/- |
84/- |
105/- |
120/- |
|
32 |
Surrey |
72/- |
90/- |
108/- |
130/- |
|
33 |
Sussex, also a 3d. at 56/- |
68/- |
82/- |
102/- |
118/- |
|
34 |
Sheffield. |
72/- |
84/- |
96/- |
108/- |
|
35 |
Wiltshire (Minimum) |
69/- |
87/- |
104/- |
120/- |
136/- |
36 |
Yorkshire do. |
72/- |
90/- |
108/- |
126/- |
144/- |
37 |
Younger W. |
70/- |
86/- |
102/- |
112/- |
|
Average Price about |
|
71/10 |
86/2 |
105/4 |
120/9 |
141/7 |
This table should make the marginws easier to see. I includes the cheapest and most expensive wholesale prices for each category:
retail price per pint |
wholesale price per barrel |
wholesale price per pint |
mark up |
% mark up |
4d |
68/- |
2.83 |
1.17 |
29.17% |
|
95/- |
3.96 |
0.04 |
1.04% |
5d |
78/- |
3.25 |
1.75 |
35.00% |
|
92/- |
3.83 |
1.17 |
23.33% |
6d |
96/- |
4.00 |
2.00 |
33.33% |
|
112/- |
4.67 |
1.33 |
22.22% |
7d |
108/- |
4.50 |
2.50 |
35.71% |
|
155/- |
6.46 |
0.54 |
7.74% |
8d |
130/- |
5.42 |
2.58 |
32.29% |
|
175/- |
7.29 |
0.71 |
8.85% |
I can't see how a publican could survive if forced to pay the highest prices.
In case you weere wondering, these are the gravity bands for each price category:
Price control categories February to July 1919 |
price per pint |
gravity range |
3d |
below 1022 |
4d |
1023-1028 |
5d |
1029-1034 |
6d |
1035-1041 |
7d |
1042-1049 |
8d |
above 1050 |
Source: |
“The British Brewing Industry 1830-1980” by T.R. Gourvish and R.G Wilson, 1994, Cambridge University Press, page 323. |
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