Tesco scraps Heineken beers including Amstel, Sol, Tiger and Kingfisher from its shelves amid Brexit price row

The retailer is now stocking only 22 of the 53 brands that it was selling at the start of the year

Heineken is close to acquiring some 1,900 pubs in Britain from Punch Taverns (Reuters)

Britain’s biggest supermarket Tesco has pulled more than half of Heineken’s beer and cider range from its shelves after the brewer tried to increase prices following the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

The retailer is now stocking only 22 of the 53 brands that it was selling at the start of the year and names such as Amstel, Sol, Tiger and Kingfisher have completely disappeared from its shelves.

Although a Tesco spokesman said the cuts were about ensuring its range “meet the needs of customers” the decision is also believed to be connected to price negotiations relating to currency headwinds in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

Earlier this year, announced that it would see an average price increase of 6p per pint across its brands in UK pubs.

The Dutch-based brewer blamed pressure from “prevailing economic conditions”, following a 15 per cent drop in the value of the pound since the Brexit vote.

Last year, the plummeting pound was blamed for a pricing dispute between Tesco and its supplier Unilever.

At the time, Tesco temporarily stopped selling products such as Marmite and PG Tips after Unilever threatened to raise prices by 10 per cent, blaming the Brexit vote.

“We frequently review our ranges to ensure they meet the needs of customers,” a spokesperson for Tesco said on Wednesday, adding: “We continue to offer customers a great range of beer, lager and cider.”

A Heineken spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on commercial arrangements with our customers.”

“Shoppers will continue to find a broad range of our fantastic beer and cider brands in Tesco.”