A pint of Peroni is now going for more than £5 in some City bars, a shocking development that bankers seem to have taken in their stride.
Those Peronis are partly behind another rise in revenues at parent company SABMiller, which also brews Miller Lite and Aguila.
The South African giant with a London stock market listing said revenue was up 8% in the six months to September 30. That compares with 6% growth in the same period last year.
The company flagged slowing demand in its key region of Latin America.
Emerging economies account for about 70% of the company’s earnings. That bias has protected it from the sluggish sales in Europe which have hurt rivals such as Heineken and Carlsberg.
Latin America beer volumes slowed to 4% from 8% a year earlier, damaged by “weaker consumer sentiment” in the second quarter.
SAB shares slipped 21.5p to 2633p on the figures. The company is valued at £42 billion.
