Supermarket campaigns push beer prices down

Beer cost 3 percent less in Dutch supermarkets in June than in May. This is the largest monthly fall in beer prices since November 2003, when they dropped by 5 percent; this was the start of the supermarket price wars, which subsequently lasted for over a year.

Beer cost 29 percent more in June than ten years ago. By way of comparison, the cost of living for an average Dutchman was 24 percent higher than ten years ago. Increases in taxes on beer account for half this increase. The VAT rate rose from 17.5 to 19 percent in January 2001, and excise on alcoholic beverage was raised substantially twice in this period: in April 2002 and January 2009.

Beer prices

Leo Peeters

Source: StatLine, Consumer prices, 2006=100