The potential upsides in Diageo’s potential acquisition of a majority stake in India's United Spirits (USL) are clear but achieving acceptable profitability from the business may be tricky, according to one analyst.
Canadian beverage labeling giant CCL Industries has pulled out of a deal to acquire John Watson & Co., a Scottish producer of labels for Scotch whisky and other spirits.
An influential South African wine industry figure has attacked UK national newspaper The Guardian for publishing an article carrying union claims that wine farm workers were sacked ‘in truckloads’ after ending strikes last week.
European soft drinks manufacturers have slammed a European Parliament (EP) push to extend sugar quotas within the bloc until 2020, and also insist that a HFCS production cap should be scrapped to relieve pressure on firms facing sugar shortages.
A recent M&A wave in brewing means that ‘global giants’ AB InBev, SAB Miller, Heineken, Carlsberg and CR Snow are piling the pressure on local players, particularly in markets such as China.
SAB Miller is blaming ‘exceptionally cold and wet winter weather’ for a third quarter volume decline in China, which meant lager volumes declined in its Asia Pacific business by 1% overall.
The co-founder of Gizmo Closures boldly claims that his company’s patented closure and ingredient delivery system ‘transcends’ technology, as it stands poised to enter the US market.
HEINEKEN WINNING VOLUME AT EXPENSE OF MARGIN IN RUSSIA: ANALYST
Heineken has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it will move its Central and Eastern European (CEE) leadership team from Vienna to Amsterdam this summer, to better drive regional growth.
Molson Coors says its purchase of the Franciscan Well craft beer brand and microbrewery is a central step in its plans to build up a strong market share in Irish craft beer.
Pharrell Williams claims he created Q Qream liqueur “to celebrate the beautiful, independent and sophisticated women of today”. However, the dream went sour after partner Diageo did not keep to its part of the bargain to make the product a success, alleges...
The CEO of Californian biotech company Virun has revealed to BeverageDaily.com that his firm has sealed two novel equity deals that involve it taking significant equity stakes in beverage brands, in exchange for access to its patented ingredient delivery...
Wine Intelligence has warned wine exporters to China against 'seeing only dollar signs' in the world's fifth-largest wine market, and said it was important to understand Chinese consumers, not just parachute in western brands.
Packaging firm Manjushree Technopack aims to double sales by 2015, driven by the growth of the middle class in India, and is poised to start construction on a fourth factory.
German beverage filling and packaging giant Krones has bought a 26% stake in German intralogistical supplier Klug, and says it will stop supplying such solutions through its loss-making in-house business.
Dutch lager Heineken is the leading alcoholic drinks (AD) brand on Facebook but Smirnoff proved the fastest growing alcoholic drinks brands in December.
INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG
Chinese beer giant Tsingtao Brewery is set to further consolidate its leading market position in Shaanxi by significantly expanding capacity with two new breweries, while AB InBev is also rumoured to be keen on penetrating the central Chinese province.
Pernod Ricard has finalized the €103m sale of Danish akvavit brands Aalborg and Brøndums to Norway’s largest spirits producer Arcus-Gruppen following regulatory approval, and reaffirmed its focus on 14 international 'priority brands'.
Young, self-confident and increasingly wealthy populations in North Africa and the Middle East offer big opportunities for food and beverage firms – but there are risks too, according to ingredient company Wild GmbH.
AB InBev plans to breathe new life into Budweiser by releasing a stronger version of the beer in 2013, which it claims will offer US drinkers a more distinct flavor and taste.
Heineken yesterday lost its final appeal against a European Commission decision to fine it around €200m ($264.7m) for alleged collusion in an illegal Dutch beer cartel, as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) condemned ‘patently illegal’ behavior in the...
Moody’s says it will not downgrade its ratings of Carlsberg and Heineken, despite the potential harm a massive French tax increase in January could pose to national beer sales.
Carlsberg says that UK government plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol are surprising and will not curb alcohol misuse, especially since the EU suggests such a policy could be illegal.
Journalists are loathe to credit rivals with originality, in terms of admitting you were beaten to that big lead or story, but I’m in a charitable mood, feeling a little fragile, the morning after our office Christmas party.
Bag-in-box wines are more likely than bottled peers to develop unpleasant flavors, aromas and colors when stored at warm temperatures, according to a new study looking at US Chardonnay.
Multinational Suntory Holdings plans to sell shares in its non-alcoholic drinks business to fund a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) drive, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has signed a deal to distribute Swedish cider Rekorderlig in Australia from January 2014, and said its sales and distribution strength would help consolidate the brand’s market-leading position.
A City analyst tells BeverageDaily.com that he believes recent talk of Diageo mounting a $10bn+ takeover of Beam Inc. is more likely now the UK plc. has ended talks with Mexico’s Jose Cuervo.
Diageo said today it had terminated discussion with Jose Cuervo relating to the future of the tequila brand, and that both parties will now work to ensure the orderly end of the current distribution agreement due to expire in June 2013.
INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG
For Chinese beer market followers, one of the most interesting developments over the last fortnight was Danish brewer Carlsberg’s announced strategy shift and expressed desire to acquire one of the nation's top three domestic brewers.
Diageo remains tight-lipped on reports it may make a $10bn+ swoop for Beam Inc. but one analyst tells BeverageDaily.com he believes no imminent deal is likely, given the firm’s preoccupation with United Spirits and Jose Cuervo.
Wine Intelligence analysts provide the lowdown on the five key developments the research group expects to see within the world’s fastest growing wine market China in 2013.
Diageo has filed patents in a range of nations detailing a formulation process for alcoholic cocktails, sold in bottles at ambient temperatures then frozen by consumers to form a ready-to-serve pourable slush.
C&C Group says it expects the US cider market to explode, but aims to build a strong multi-beverage business group rather than just a ‘pure play’ cider business.
New research from Mintel suggests that strong and premium beer – volumes up 18% in 2011 – and international brands are making fast inroads among Brazilian consumers.
INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG
In this guest article, Jacob de Lichtenberg, head of Aktiefokus China, gives BeverageDaily.com readers the lowdown on Tsingtao Brewery’s plans to build a brewery in Henan province, where beer production is booming.
After a rash of ‘new launches, gimmicky stunts and outrageous incarnations’, culminating in bubble gum-based vodka, Euromonitor International is warning of potential category ‘boom and bust’.
The CombiCube F modular filtration system offers craft brewers ‘big advantages’ in terms of engineering and cost, Krones’ Ralph Schneid told BeverageDaily.com and FoodProductionDaily.com at Brau Beviale.
SAB Miller CFO Jamie Wilson admits that the firm has suffered volume declines with Foster’s Group in Australia and is not regaining share, but claims that the takeover was never a ‘short-term journey’.
Cider is the rising star of New Zealand’s alcoholic beverages market even as consumption of beer in the country is showing a steady decline, said a top official from Lion, the Australasian food and beverage major.
A maximum shelf life of one year will not be an issue for wine can consumers, Ball Packaging’s sales director for Benelux and Scandinavia Gerlof Toenhake told reporter Mark Astley.
Mads Elming from Ardagh Group gives Ben Bouckley the lowdown on the development of the firm's eye-catching collaboration with Pernod Ricard's Absolut brand to create four million uniquely decorated vodka bottles, and said there was "tremendous...
Diageo has reached a £1.28bn ($2.04bn) deal for a 53.4% controlling stake in Indian-based United Spirits group, a decade after exiting the country’s market.
Carlsberg CEO Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen has suggested that rival SAB Miller and new strategic partner Anadolu Efes may be facing challenges in Russia as they combine their businesses, as his firm wins market share.
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito says his firm is ‘not happy’ with continued US market share losses for Budweiser, and expressed slight disappointment given rising brand health scores.
Kyle Nielsen from KHS USA tells Ben Bouckley why his firm is keen to attract the increasingly important craft brewing segment with its new Innofill Glass Micro DPG bottle filler.
Crown Holdings has postponed plans to build two new plants in China as it continues to face sluggish economic conditions and unfavourable weather in its key markets.
SAB Miller says it wants to slash the cost of its mainstream beer brands in Africa to drive growth, as it identified a $3.7bn value opportunity as consumers move away from informal or illicit alcohol.
Riding the new US cider boom is one of the few escape routes for large mainstream brewers faced with ‘hemorrhaging’ beer volume sales, a leading alcoholic drinks analyst insists.
