Not quite the tonic … sharp jump in mixer prices fuels G&T inflation
It is the kind of news that calls for a stiff drink: the cost of a home-poured G&T is bubbling up due to a jump in tonic prices at the supermarket.
New shop price data from research firm Assosia suggests that the price of mixers made by major tonic brands such as Schweppes and Fever-Tree has risen sharply this month.
In Morrisons, the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket chain, a number of Schweppes mixers, including bestsellers such as Indian tonic water, have increased by 10p to £1.75 for a litre. The cost of some of its drinks sold in rival stores Sainsbury’s and Tesco has also increased.
The data also reveals widespread price increases for Fever-Tree’s upmarket tonics. Since the start of 2022 Assosia tracked 15 price increases for the brand in Morrisons, 16 in Tesco and Asda, and 21 in Sainsbury’s. A 500ml bottle of its Indian tonic water now costs £1.95 in Morrisons, a 15p increase. It costs the higher price in Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Withinflation running at a near 30-year high tonic is just one of many products going up in price on supermarket shelves as supply chain bottlenecks and soaring energy costs put upward pressure on prices.
This week, Lord Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer, relayed bad news for beer drinkers, warning that soaring costs would push up the cost of a pint too. “Our input costs in every way – bottling, energy – are up,” he said.
The cost pressures bearing down on businesses were also highlighted by Unilever, the consumer goods giant behind Hellman’s mayonnaise and Marmite, which warned further price rises were on the cards for shoppers as its own input costs were expected to jump by as much as £3bn this year.
IAs well as rising ingredient, transport and energy costs, soft drinks makers have also had to
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