2026-07-06
A British consumer group is calling for a competition investigation into the U.K. beer market, arguing that independent brewers are being shut out of bars and pubs while a small group of global companies dominates what drinkers see at the bar.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, published a report on Monday urging the Competition and Markets Authority to examine what it describes as anti-competitive conditions in brewing and pub supply. The report, “Beer in the UK,” says four international brewing conglomerates hold an outsized influence over the market and limit access for smaller producers.
The group said the issue affects both consumer choice and the economics of the pub trade. According to CAMRA, ordinary drinkers are finding fewer independent beers on tap even though demand is stronger than current pub listings suggest. Citing data from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, or SIBA, the report says demand for independent beer is 280% higher than the share those brewers currently hold in the pub market.
CAMRA also said seven of the 10 top-selling craft beers in Britain are made by just four global brewing groups. It added that many lagers marketed as continental or imported are in fact brewed in the U.K., raising broader concerns about transparency and branding in the beer aisle and at the bar.
“Ordinary drinkers are being short-changed when it comes to choice and quality at the bar,” Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA’s chairman, said in a statement released with the report. He said global brewers were using the current system to squeeze out independent producers, harming both publicans and consumers.
Corbett-Collins called on the government to take the matter more seriously and back a formal market investigation. Referring to recent political promises about supporting nightlife and local communities, he said a proper inquiry could help deliver fairer conditions for pub operators, drinkers and smaller breweries.
The report was edited by Tim Webb, a longtime beer writer, who argued that concentration in brewing has left Britain with a narrow range of products shaped more by industrial scale than by consumer preference. He said competition authorities should investigate how independent brewers are excluded from the on-trade market, meaning sales through pubs, bars and restaurants.
SIBA, which represents independent brewers, backed CAMRA’s call. Andy Slee, SIBA’s chief executive, said CAMRA was right to push for change in an industry he said is dominated by global beer companies that restrict access for British independents.
Slee said 80% of beer drinkers want to see independent beer sold alongside global brands at the bar, but that independent brewers are locked out of supplying 63% of pubs. He said that hurts customers, landlords and the long-term health of Britain’s pub and beer market.
He also pointed to ownership transparency as a growing issue, saying consumers can struggle to tell whether a beer marketed with craft branding is actually owned by an independent brewery or by a multinational group. SIBA has been promoting its Indie Beer campaign to help drinkers identify independently produced beer more easily.
The dispute comes as Britain’s brewing sector continues to face pressure from weak growth, changing drinking habits and strain across hospitality. For beverage producers, any move toward a competition review could matter well beyond one trade dispute. A formal investigation could reshape access to taps in pubs, alter negotiating power between brewers and operators, and potentially widen shelf space for smaller beer makers in a market where visibility often determines survival.
It could also affect how pubs build their drinks programs. If regulators were to scrutinize supply ties or exclusivity practices, that might create more room for rotating local beers and more varied offerings across the on-trade. That would be especially significant for independent breweries that rely heavily on pubs rather than supermarkets to reach customers.
SIBA also criticized what it described as delays from the government. Slee said the industry is still waiting for the outcome of a review that had promised to help independent brewers gain better access to pubs. Nearly two years later, he said, smaller breweries remain without clarity on whether policy changes are coming.
CAMRA framed its report as a consumer case as much as an industry one. The organization said its findings show that what appears to be variety in British beer can mask a market where ownership is concentrated and routes to market are tightly controlled. Its central argument is that without regulatory action, independent brewers will continue to struggle for bar space even when customer demand exists.
The Competition and Markets Authority had not announced any investigation into the beer market on Monday.