Leading East European drinks manufacturer Kofola has selected PET
preforms from Amcor PET Packaging for two of its juice and mineral
water brands, a move designed to bring the same brand values and
image to the take-home sector as...
Mecca Cola, the soft drink producer which gives a portion of its
profits to support the Palestinian cause, has grown rapidly over
the last few years, building on anti-US sentiment across the globe.
The latest country targeted by the...
InBev is already beginning to see the benefits of last year's
merger of Belgian brewer Interbrew and Brazil's AmBev, with volume
sales in 2004 growing at more than twice the rate of the global
beer market as a whole. And...
Coca-Cola, whose sugary soft drinks have left it open to
accusations of contributing to the global obesity epidemic, has
made little secret of its desire to move into product sectors such
as juice and water, viewed as less 'high...
Italian spirit maker Campari has today confirmed that it is
increasing its stake in US unit Skyy Spirits, while earlier in the
week it was the turn of brewer SABMiller to increase its stake in
Italy's Peroni group, writes Chris...
Russia's leading dairy and juice producer Wimm-Bill-Dann has
announced it will merge its juice and water businesses as part of a
restructuring plan devised to stop rising transport and raw
materials costs from damaging profits,...
InBev is outsourcing its IT infrastructure on a global basis,
arguing that this offers the best combination of cost efficiencies,
technical performance and flexibility for future growth.
Disposals and currency exchange rates pushed down full-year sales
at Nestlé, the world's biggest food producer, but the decline had
no impact on profitability, which grew by a healthy 8.1 per cent
during 2004. IN order to stay...
British confectionery and soft drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is
back on the path to growth after the acquisition of confectionery
group Adams and a complete overhaul of its US beverage business.
Cost reductions, investment in confectionery...
Three of Europe's biggest beer makers have reported mixed results
this week, with Scottish & Newcastle, Carlsberg and Heineken
all underlining the need to cut costs and increase advertising
expenditure, especially for premium...
Coca-Cola's Greek bottling subsidiary has announced it will buy its
way into Serbia's bottled water market as the trend towards healthy
living increases the importance of non-carbonated soft drinks,
reports Chris Mercer.
The completion of its nationwide distribution network and increased
investment in advertising helped brewer Baltic Beverages Holding to
shrug off a difficult first half for its Russian brewing business
and end the year with an increase...
The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling company, which this week announced
solid sales growth led by emerging markets in Eastern Europe, has
confirmed its interest in Serbia's second largest mineral water
bottler as the company plans...
Diageo, the world's biggest spirit group, has announced a drop in
first half profits, caused by foreign exchange rates, weak demand
in Europe and the continued decline of the ready-to-drink segment,
writes Chris Jones.
Restructuring costs at Amcor's PET plastics and flexible packaging
divisions have contributed to a decline in first-half net profit,
though the Australia-based company expects an improvement in the
second half, despite the impact...
International drinks groups have been lining up to invest in China
in recent years, but almost all of their acquisitions have been in
the beer sector where there are literally hundreds of potential
takeover targets. But China's...
The European Union's highest court ruled this week that the EC had
been wrong to prohibit a merger between packaging groups Tetra
Laval and Sidel four years ago.
Merrydown, the British beverage group whose focus on adult soft
drinks has helped it overcome the declining fortunes of cider, has
agreed to a takeover by SHS, a consumer goods sales and marketing
specialist. The group hopes that...
Non-carbonated soft drinks in emerging Eastern European markets,
especially Russia, held up sales growth during a challenging period
for the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), despite a €49
million one-off charge sending...
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will encourage
Uzbekistan to implement economic reforms by pledging nearly €3
million to improve quality and double capacity at a private
domestic brewer, reports Chris Mercer.
InBev has spread rapidly beyond the borders of its native Belgium
in the last few years, with major acquisitions in Asia, Latin
America and Europe. But the world's biggest brewer is not always
successful in its takeover bids,...
Australian winery Southcorp has reported a 50 per cent increase in
net profits for the first half of fiscal 2005, a performance which
has allowed the company to reinstate dividend payments for
shareholders for the first time in two...
Beer was the main driving force behind a solid if unspectacular
performance from San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the
Philippines-based food and drink group, in 2004. But with the
performance falling short of many analysts' expectations,...
Fourteen foreign and domestic companies, featuring some of the
biggest names in the global drinks industry, are expected to slug
it out for control of Jinro, South Korea's biggest spirit maker.
A 15-year drive to develop a network of international breweries
continues to pay dividends for Singapore's Asia Pacific Breweries,
which has reported a 19 per cent increase in profits for the first
quarter of 2005.
Danone, the French dairy conglomerate, announced today that net
profits had plummeted 62 per cent, following the costly €600
million write down of its water-cooler business last month, Tom
Armitage reports.
Tate & Lyle's Splenda brand in the news again this week as
McNeil Nutritionals, the table-top supplier of this increasingly
popular sweetener, takes the US sugar industry to court.
A substantial drop in organic sales growth in Asia and continued
problems with its eponymous anis brands were the only low points in
an otherwise impressive set of financial results for Pernod Ricard
in 2004, writes Chris Jones.
Coca-Cola is suing rival US beverage manufacturer Florida's Natural
because it believes the company has infringed on the patented
plastic carafe used by its Minute Maid Simply Orange juice brand.
Sweden's Absolut vodka has consolidated its position as the world's
third-largest international spirit brand with a 5 per cent increase
in shipments in 2004 - buoyed in particular by an excellent
performance in its most...
Molson management will be relieved that Friday's shareholder vote
approved the $4 billion merger with Adolph Coors; the family brewer
is now safe from being an obvious takeover target, writes Kim
Hunter Gordon.
Danone's rapid expansion into the home and office delivery (HOD)
bottled water market has given it a global market share to match
that of rival Nestlé in recent years, but the growth has not come
without a price, writes Chris...
Dutch brewer Heineken is considering expanding its presence in
China with the acquisition of an additional stake in the Kingway
Brewery, while Japan's Suntory has already stepped up its
operations there with the acquisition of...
A deal with Britain's Diageo group to begin licensed production of
the Guinness stout brand in Russia was the highest profile
announcement by Dutch brewer Heineken last week, but with moves to
consolidate its position in China...
The Florida Citrus Commission has approved a proposal to allow
citrus growers to opt out of paying taxes that support its
marketing program, according to the Florida Ledger.
Figures released today confirm that the mere unveiling of the
taint-proof Diamont cork improved sales of all Oeneo closures in
the last half of 2004. But can this boost be transferred to its
barrels division? asks Kim Hunter Gordon.
InBev, the company formed last year by the merger of Belgium's
Interbrew and the Brazilian giant AmBev, says it is on track for
solid profit growth in 2004 despite missing its full-year volume
growth target, writes Chris Jones.
Moldovan wine producer Asconi Corporation has announced that its
2004 case sales increased by 20 per cent on 2003 to almost 2
million cases. The news comes at the same time as the inclusion of
10 of the company's wine in a list...
Southcorp has said that Foster's A$3.1 billion takeover attempt
today is "inadequate and opportunistic". But, with its beer
business stagnating and the global wine trade consolidating,
Foster's may need to get...
Kirin Brewery Company has acquired a further 117 million class B
shares of San Miguel Corporation, pushing its share in the
Philippines food giant up by 4.12 per cent, giving Kirin a 19.67
per cent stake in San Miguel.
Bulgaria's Supreme administrative court upheld today a lower court
ruling to fine the local branch of Coca-Cola leva 20, 000 ($13,400)
for using illicit promotional methods.
Foster's has bought an 18.8 percent share in Australia's third
biggest winemaker, Southcorp, preventing rival bidders from taking
it over and keeping it in Aussie hands.
The SABMiller vulture has begun to hover as doubt is cast on the
outcome of next week's shareholder vote on a merger with Coors,
writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
Connecticut-based beverage company SoBe - South Beach Beverage
Company - has paid a $219,000 penalty for falsely claiming that its
drinks protect against colds and other illnesses and increase
energy levels.
Following the success of a controversial TV advert, Blavod is set
for further growth in the UK as it signs up with wholesaler Matthew
Clark. Abroad, it sees Poland and other EU accession countries as
lands of opportunity, reports...
Following a two year operating loss, Oeneo has been forced to sell
its Bloomfield oak stave mill in Iowa. Is American oak too 'woody'
for the wine industry, asks Kim Hunter Gordon.
Two of Europe's top brewers have continued their investments in the
international brewing sector. But while Heineken continues to
invest in some of the world's less established beer markets, InBev
has strengthened its position...
Coca-Cola has confirmed that construction has begun on a new
bottling plant in the Zhangquiu City near Jinan, capital of
Shandong Province in east China. The move is part of a trend
whereby large food and drink companies are increasingly...
