FOOD & DRINK DIGITAL | News for Food & Drink Executives at www.foodanddrinkdigital.com

UK Champagne sales drop

British demand for champagne dropped in 2009, according to recent figures

St Patrick’s Day discovery as RSC finds out why Guinness bubbles float down

Scientists at the Royal Society of Chemistry have made a breakthrough in the field of Guinness-related studies, having finally discovered why Guinness bubbles float down

Heineken sales drop, Carlsberg sales rise

Two of the most prominent brewers in the industry have seen contrasting fortunes over the last financial year

European beer is cheaper on British cruises

A survey by Cruises.co.uk has shown that bottled beer is much cheaper on British ships than the same beer on a similar style of U.S. ship

Tennent’s beer brewers back minimum alcohol pricing

Scotland’s largest brewer has come out in favour of the Scottish Government’s proposal to introduce a minimum pricing scheme for alcohol

Anheuser-Busch InBev grinds to a halt as talks fail

AB InBev has said that production in its Belgian breweries has reached a standstill following a second round of failed talks

Anheuser-Busch InBev blockade leads to beer drought

Brewery workers protesting against Anheuser-Busch’s sweeping job cuts have blockaded several plants and factories, causing beer supplies to run low

Anheuser-Busch InBev managers held hostage over job cuts

Managers at the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery were held hostage following job cut announcements

BrewDog’s Tokyo* beer banned UPDATED

The Portman Group have banned BrewDog’s Tokyo* because they claim that its labeling encourages consumers to drink to excess

Marston’s beer brewery faces falling profits

British brewer Marston’s has just released its results for the year ending October 3

Magners manufacturer to buy up English brands

The C&C Group plc, who produce Magners Cider are to acquire the UK cider assets of The Gaymer Cider Company and Constellation Brands Inc. for 45 million pounds

First Quench to close a further 381 stores

The joint administrators of First Quench Retailing have announced the closure of a further 381 stores

BrewDog announces creation of World’s Strongest Beer

Controversial Northern brewer, BrewDog, has created Tactical Nuclear Penguin, reportedly the strongest beer ever made at 32 percent ABV

BrewDog attempts to get own beer banned

The Portman Group has provisionally upheld a complaint against Brewdog’s Tokyo* beer, in a complaint that actually originated with the brewery itself.

Threshers wine stores driven to closures by supermarket discounts

KPMG, administrators of Threshers’ owner company, First Quench, announced the closure of 373 stores yesterday, Food and Drink Digital has learnt.

Carlsberg beer sales slump in Russia

Russian beer sales have contracted by 10 percent from January to September, according to Carlsberg’s Q3 report.

Cobra Beer founder aims to raise £4.5 million

Lord Karan Bilimoria, who founded Cobra Beer, says he needs 4.5 million pounds to expand the Indian branch of the company, five months after to the British side of the company went into administration.

Newcy Brown production to move, again

Production of Newcastle Brown Ale is set to move to Yorkshire as owners announce plans to close its brewery in Gateshead

Magners Cider maker suffers profit decline

C&C Group plc, the beverage company responsible for the Magners and Bulmers cider brands, announced a decline in profits yesterday.

Nestle to stop sourcing Mugabe milk

Nestle SA, the Switzerland-based multinational packaged food company, says it will stop buying milk in Zimbabwe directly from a farm controlled by President Robert Mugabe’s wife.

English winegrowers receive £1.6m education fund

In a bid to lure Britons to the winemaking profession, the Government and the European Commission have provided 1.6 million pounds to arrange winemaking classes.

Nestle continues to source milk from Mugabe-controlled farm

Nestle SA, the multinational packaged food company headquartered in Switzerland, defends buying milk in Zimbabwe from a farm controlled by President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace.

Guinness celebrates 250th anniversary today

Guinness marks the day that Arthur Guinness signed the 9,000-year lease for his brewery in the city in 1759, with a day of celebrations in Dublin.

£7.5m milk ad campaign to launch

A consortium of British dairy companies and co-operatives are preparing to launch a three-year ad campaign to promote the benefits and boost the demand for drinking milk.

Nestlé spends record amount on Nescafé ad

Nestlé is injecting a 43 million pound marketing investment aimed at restoring the "iconic status" of Nescafé; the biggest spend in the brand's 70-year history.

AB InBev sells Tennents brands to C&C Group

Leading global brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has, after months of speculation, sold its Tennents lager brand to C&C Group.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo make Beijing’s top polluters list

Soft drink giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were named among the top 12 Beijing water polluters in a report recently released by the city's economic planning department.

Coca Cola and Pepsi make Beijing’s top polluters list

Coca-Cola launches fizzy milk drink

Drinks giant, Coca-Cola, is set to raise a few eyebrows with its latest entrant into the beverage aisle, Vio – a ‘vibrancy’ drink containing fizzy milk

PepsiCo profit falls

PepsiCo Inc, the world’s largest snack maker, said second-quarter profit fell as consumers bought less Gatorade in favor of cheaper drinks.

San Miguel eyes Dole Food’s Asia branch

To expand its core food and beverage business, diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp is looking to acquire the Philippine and regional units of U.S. multinational Dole Food Co, one of the world's biggest fruit and vegetable producers.

Coca-Cola to test soda bar in California

Orange County’s fizzy drink fans will be among the first to experiment with Coca-Cola’s latest gadget, a 100-drink, touch-screen beverage bar.

Kirin in merger talks with Suntory

Japanese brewing and food groups Kirin Holdings Co and Suntory Holdings Ltd, say they are in talks to merge in an attempt to challenge the market leader.

SABMiller cuts forecast for Europe beer volume growth

Brewer SABMiller has cut its target for European sales growth as the global economic downturn impacts consumer demand in Poland, Hungary and Russia.

KKR hands over 50% stake in Oriental Brewery

U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has announced a deal with Affinity Equity Partners to hand over a 50 percent stake in Oriental Brewery.

Greene King profit beats own forecasts

Brewer Greene King has defied the rest of the pub sector to post profits that exceeded expectations as the warm weather helped the group hold its dividend.

Two pints of beer and two pub dinners on a table

Constellation Brands sees profit fall in recession

The global wine maker reported that earnings in the first quarter plummeted 85 percent as sales and margins continue to take a dive in the recession.

Diageo axes 900 jobs in Scotland

Drinks group Diageo has announced it is to cut 900 jobs at two plants in Scotland as part of a restructuring plan.

SABMiller in deal with black investors

World No. 2 brewer SABMiller will issue 10 percent of its South African unit to black investors in a deal worth $750 million in line with the country's affirmative action rules, it said on Wednesday.

A bottle of Peroni beer is seen in an undated handout photo. REUTERS/Vismedia

Marston’s rights issue faces criticism from investors

Pub group Marston’s has been forced to defend its 176 million pounds rights issue as leading shareholders prepare to vote against it.

Diageo joins Chinese producer to create vodka

Drinks group Diageo plc announced it has teamed up with Shui Jing Fang, the Chinese white spirit producer, to create a new premium vodka.

Marston’s to raise £176m in rights issue

Pub and brewing company Marston’s has said it plans to raise 176 million pounds in a rights issue in order to build new pubs.

Punch unveils £350 million share issue

Pub company Punch Taverns on Monday said it planned to raise 350 million pounds through a share issue, with the proceeds earmarked for debt repayment.

Premium drinks brands suffer

As drinks companies like Remy Cointreau, Molson Coors and Brown-Forman face up to declining consumer demand, workers take the brunt of cost cuts.

Milk Link safeguards 170 jobs at creamery

The receivers of Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) have sold the creamery to rival Milk Link in a bid to save 170 jobs at the Denbighshire-based business.

Venezuela cans Coke Zero

Venezuela has reportedly banned the sale of the calorie-free Coke Zero, claiming it is harmful to “health of Venezuelans”.

Nestlé’s Nespresso defies the downturn

Food group Nestlé has opened a new factory for its Nespresso brand as the premium coffee records average sales growth of over 30 percent since 2000.

Brown-Forman’s profit beats expectations

The maker of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Southern Comfort has seen fourth-quarter profit fall 19 percent, ahead of estimates.

Remy Cointreau operating profit falls 14.2%

French wine and spirits group Remy Cointreau has reported that full year operating profit was down 14.2 percent to 137 million euros as demand for its brands in Russia and the U.S. declined.

Warburg Pincus withdraws its investment in China Huiyuan

The U.S. private equity fund Warburg Pincus has withdrawn its investment in China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd as it declines to convert bonds into stock.

A.G. Barr revenue up 22.5 percent

(Reuters) - Scottish drinks maker A.G. Barr said on Monday total revenue for the period from February 1 to May 29 rose 22.5 percent from a year ago, helped by strong underlying revenue growth from its core business and an increasingly positive performance from the Rubicon brand.

Fuller's profits fall in tough market

Pubs operator and brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner reported a 1 percent decline in full-year pretax profit on Friday and said the year had been very difficult given tough market conditions.

PepsiCo’s takeover offer “inadequate”

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc rejected PepsiCo’s $6 billion takeover bid, calling it “inadequate” after it reported an improved performance and raised its earnings forecast.

MillerCoors sees beer sales up despite downturn

MillerCoors, the second-largest brewer in the United States, sees beer sales growth slowing less rapidly in the downturn than wine and spirits and as the beermaker focuses on premium light and craft beers.

Thousands of newly-labelled bottles of Coors Light beer head for packaging at the Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado October 16, 2007. . REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Cobra Beer saved from administration by Molson Coors

Cobra Beer has entered a pre-pack administration after it was acquired by a joint venture between Molson Coors and its founder Lord Karan Bilimoria.

Heineken takes more Globe pub debt

Heineken , the world's third-largest brewer, has acquired more debt at a discount from Globe Pub Company, thereby reducing it own net debt and realising a net book gain.

In this file photo bottles of Heineken beer are displayed before a news conference in London January 25, 2008. Dutch group's presence in western Europe. The world's third-largest brewer has acquired more debt at a discount from Globe Pub Company, thereby reducing it own net debt and realising a net book gain. REUTERS/Stephen Hird

Permira sells 14 pct Britvic stake

Private equity group Permira Wednesday said it had sold its 14 percent stake in soft drink maker Britvic.

Britvic profits rise on Q2 sales

Soft drinks maker Britvic has reported a 16.3 percent rise in half-year profits as revenues improved on a resurgence in the drinks market.

Heineken says S&N UK head to leave

Dutch brewer Heineken on Tuesday said the head of its British business Jeremy Blood is stepping down as managing director of Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) UK and will leave the group immediately for personal reasons.

Drinks companies combat the downturn

Brewers and soft drinks companies are entering into distribution agreements in a bid to beat off competition within the industry.

Carlsberg to exceed savings forecast

Brewer Carlsberg has said that it will exceed its savings target of 1.3 billion Danish kroner following its joint takeover of Scottish & Newcastle last year.

SABMiller earnings dip

Brewing giant SABMiller beat forecasts with just a 4 percent dip in annual earnings on Thursday and warned that the strong dollar and high commodity costs would continue to hit the group in the current year.

Workers package beer at Cervejas de Mocambique, a subsidiary of giant SAB Miller, in Maputo, March 17, 2009. SABMiller beat forecasts with just a 4 percent dip in annual earnings on Thursday and warned that the strong dollar and high commodity costs would continue to hit the group in the current year. REUTERS/Grant Lee Neuenburg

Dr Pepper Snapple profit up on distribution agreement

Soft drinks maker Dr Pepper Snapple has reported that first quarter profit rose 39 percent related to an agreement to sell distribution rights to Hansen Beverage Co.

Tied pub system forcing prices up

The tied pub business model used by Enterprise Inns and Punch Taverns has been criticised for selling beer to licensees at inflated prices, according to a Commons Committee.

United Breweries and Heineken in distribution deal

India-based United Breweries (UB) has reached an agreement with Heineken that will see it bottle and distribute the brewer’s brands in the country.

Poor harvest sees price of coffee soar

Following a poor harvest in Colombia, the leading grower of Arabica coffee beans, the price of coffee has risen to a 12-year high.

A cup of coffee surrounded by coffee beans

Weakening markets hit Diageo

Drinks group Diageo has reported that underlying sales fell 7 percent in the three months to March 31, although trading remains on track for its third fiscal quarter.

AB InBev profit beats estimates, earnings up

The world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has reported that first quarter earnings rose 10 percent as profit beats analysts’ estimates.

Molson Coors profit rises

Molson Coors Brewing Co reported a higher quarterly profit on Tuesday, as increased prices and cost cuts helped offset steeper commodity costs, the stronger U.S. dollar and lower sales volume.

McDonald’s launches coffee campaign

U.S. fast food chain McDonald’s Corp is to begin an advertising campaign in a bid to advertise its specialty coffee range, or McCafé.

Pepsi Bottling rejects PepsiCo's offer

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc said on Monday its board has rejected a proposal by PepsiCo to buy the remaining stake in the bottler, citing the offer as "grossly inadequate."

‘Dairy summit’ to be held next month

A ‘dairy summit’ has been confirmed for next month following a protest by Scottish farmers outside the Scottish Parliament as milk prices continue to fall.

KKR preferred buyer for AB InBev’s Korean business

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co is to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Korean beer unit for an estimated $2 billion, one of the largest leveraged buyouts this year.

A bottle of beer being poured into a glass

Beer sales plunge 8.2% as industry hit by recession

The British Beer and Pub Association has reported that beer sales were down 8.2 percent in the first three months of the year, the equivalent of 1.7 million pints less a day than the previous year.

McDonald’s expands Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple drinks brands

Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Coca-Cola Co have entered into an agreement with fast food chain McDonald’s to expand the presence of both companies’ drinks brands in its outlets.

Kirin to takeover Lion Nathan

Japanese brewer Kirin agreed a $2.5 billion (1.71 billion pound) buy-out of Lion Nathan , Australia's second-largest brewer, on Monday, paying a near 50 percent premium to expand into one of the world's most profitable markets.

A customer walks past advertising signs for Lion Nathan beers at a liquor store in Melbourne April 27, 2009. Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings clinched a A$3.5 billion ($2.5 billion) agreed takeover of Lion Nathan Ltd, Australia's second-largest brewer, on Monday, paying at a near-50 percent premium for the remaining 53.9 percent it does not already own. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas

The last seven days in the drink industry

The 2 percent increase on alcohol duty has hit the beverage industry hard this week and elsewhere pubs and brewing groups continue to make the headlines.

Coca-Cola may buy stake in China Huiyuan

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Coca-Cola Co may buy a minority stake in China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd.

Greene King rights issue to raise £207.5m

Pub and brewing group Greene King has announced that it plans to raise 207.5 million pounds through a rights issue.

Alcohol duty up 2% in Budget

Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced that alcohol duty will go up by 2 percent after midnight in yet another blow to the pub and restaurant industry.

LVMH denies in talks with Diageo

LVMH , the world's largest luxury goods group, on Wednesday denied it was in talks to sell its wine and spirits unit Moet Hennessy.

A signage is seen on the outside of Diageo offices in west London October 10, 2008. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Heineken volumes fall 6.3 percent

Dutch Heineken , the world's third-largest brewer, reported a worse-than-expected drop in beer volume in the first quarter on Wednesday and said the impact and duration of the downturn remained unclear.

Bottles of Heineken beer are displayed before a news conference in London January 25, 2008. REUTERS/Stephen Hird

Coca-Cola Q1 profit down 10% on writedowns

Coca-Cola Co has reported a 10 percent decline in first quarter profit due to restructuring costs and lower sales.

The Las Vegas strip 'World of Coca-Cola'

PepsiCo offers $6bn to buyout bottlers

The world’s second largest drinks maker, PepsiCo Inc, has offered about $6 billion in cash and stock for sole control of its two biggest bottlers.

Remy sales down 13%

The French liquor maker Remy Cointreau reported that full-year sales fell 13 percent as demand for premium champagne and cognac in the U.S. and Russia declined.

SABMiller beer volumes fall flat

Brewing giant SABMiller sold less beer than expected in the first three months of 2009 as economic conditions worsened and demand fell in most of its markets.

A glass of beer is handed between pumps at the Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court in London, n this file photo from August 1, 2006. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Marston's on track as trading improves

Pubs and brewing group Marston's said on Wednesday it was on track to meet profit expectations for the full year after trading improved over the last eight weeks.

Pernod Ricard launches rights issue

French drinks group Pernod Ricard launched a 1.04 billion euro (920 million pound) discounted rights issue on Wednesday as it posted a 12 percent drop in like-for-like third-quarter sales.

Anheuser-Busch InBev considers sale of Rolling Rock

Anheuser-Busch InBev is exploring the sale of its struggling Rolling Rock brand, just three years after it bought the brand from InBev.

PepsiCo sues Coca-Cola over energy drink advert

PepsiCo Inc sued Coca-Cola claiming that its rival made false attacks against Gatorade in its advertisements for Powerade ION 4.

Britvic agrees new banking facility

Soft drinks maker Britvic said on Tuesday it had refinanced its UK banking facility until May 2012.

Campari expects Wild Turkey buy to add revenue

Italian drinks group Campari is to purchase Wild Turkey whiskey for $575 million in a deal that is expected to add 100 million euros a year to the group’s revenue.

Constellation Brands profit a penny shy

Constellation Brands Inc reported a quarterly profit that just missed Wall Street estimates, hurt by disappointing demand for alcohol in Europe and Australia during Christmas and New Year's, and gave a cautious forecast for the current year.

Pernod seen close to selling Wild Turkey

French drinks group Pernod Ricard is set to announce a 1 billion euro (920 million pound) rights issue and a deal to sell its Wild Turkey bourbon brand for $575 million (392 million pound), the Financial Times website reported on Tuesday, without citing sources.

Beverages