Scottish & Newcastle's strategy of expanding its European
business at the same time as selling off its UK pub arm is making
it an attractive takeover target for a number of the world's
biggest brewers, claim market analysts...
With average annual consumption of 222 litres per capita, the UK is
undoubtedly one of the most important soft drinks markets in
western Europe. Innovation, health and convenience were the main
drivers of a market which has grown...
Nestlé Waters North America has been accused of selling nothing
more than simple tap water under its Poland Spring brand and
marketing it as natural spring water - an allegation strongly
denied by the company.
Coca-Cola has refuted a number of allegations of fraud made by a
disgruntled former employee, but has admitted that it doctored the
figures from a trial of its Frozen Coke product at one Burger King
outlet in 2000.
Tullibardine Distillery, closed in 1994, is to open again this year
as part of an ambitious scheme which also includes the creation of
a major retail centre. The new owners have ambitious plans to drive
sales of the Tullibardine brand,...
Metro, Germany's largest food retailer, is the latest to stop
selling beer in small cans and bottles in a bid to avoid the high
cost of implementing a new recycling scheme for such products. Beer
sales in Germany are likely to...
Turkey and Denmark respectively top the global tea and coffee
consumption leagues, according to a new report from Datamonitor,
while the world's most traditional tea-drinking nation, Britain, is
dropping slowly down the list.
Still drinks showed remarkable growth in the UK last year, with a
number of smaller brands in particular performing well. The
healthier image that many of these products have is driving a the
trend away from carbonates and juice,...
Brewers are frequently looking to extend their product ranges via
sub-brands and flavour variants, but Scottish Courage in the UK has
taken this one step further with the launch of a Newcastle Brown
Ale ice cream. A bold move, but...
Lower tourist numbers and a poor summer meant that Spanish beer
volumes were down last year compared to 2001. But price rises
linked to the introduction of the euro and increased consumption of
speciality imported beers helped push...
The thorny issue of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy
does not only affect the EU's farmers, it is also of vital
importance to the food and drink industry supplied by them. Which
is why the CIAA, which represents food...
Spanish sales of Scotch whisky, liqueurs, gin and brandy all
declined last year as younger consumers turned away from strong
alcoholic drinks with an unfashionable image. Only rum managed to
register a slight increase, according to...
The strength of the US dollar last year meant that exports of
Californian wine declined 7 per cent in volume terms during 2002.
But value sales were up 1 per cent for the year, with sales to the
biggest market, the UK, up 12 per cent.
The three pillars of Interbrew's expansion strategy - investing in
strong local brands, growing its core Stella Artois beer and buying
up regional brewers - have given the Belgian firm a strong and
distinctive identity on the...
Coca-Cola has confirmed rumours in the US trade press that it is to
launch a flavoured milk drink later this summer in a bid to gain a
foothold in the fast-growing nutritional beverage market. But
Choglit, its joint venture brand...
Among the new products highlighted by Mintel in this month's look
at the Global New Products Database are lettuce cake, a
controversial opium energy drink and a new look for Kellogg's
Frosties.
Bertie Ahern, Ireland's prime minister, called on alcohol producers
to act more responsibly this week, urging them not to produce or
market products such as alcopops which are targeted at young
drinkers. Ireland is to introduce...
The German spirits market seems to be in almost terminal decline,
but there could be a ray of hope from FABs, the ready-to-drink
variants of popular spirit brands such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi
Rigo. But, as market analysts Canadean...
British companies looking to export to Southern Europe will get a
major boost next month. Food from Britain is organising an export
insight conference focusing on France, Italy, Spain and Portugal,
giving companies all the information...
Poor summer weather in 2002 kept growth in the Italian soft drinks
market to around half that seen in previous years. But, according
to Canadean, the glitch is likely to be temporary, with plenty of
growth expected in the years to...
Austria is not among the most well known wine producing nations in
Europe, but a quick glance at the latest export figures shows that
consumers around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the
wines produced there. For the...
Despite a 17 per cent increase in sales of ready meals last year,
the traditional Spanish diet - high in olive oil, fruit and
vegetables and bread - is at little risk of disappearing, according
to the latest consumption data.
Vodka is going from strength to strength in the UK spirits market,
taking over from Scotch as the main driver of growth. But will this
growth - driven in part by the success of vodka-based RTDs - be
shortlived like that of tequila...
Growth rates may have slowed as the UK water cooler market begins
to mature, but the entry of major players Danone and Nestlé in the
last year should give a major boost to the sector, according to
Zenith International.
Kopparbergs fruit ciders from Sweden are the latest products
launched in the UK on the back of the growing consumer demand for
premium packaged drinks. But will the Scandinavian cider fare
better than its struggling UK counterpart...
PET packaging is already the most popular format for soft drinks
and bottled water, but it is still a long way from replacing glass
as the preferred packaging format for beer, claims Canadean.
A proposed increase in the taxation levels imposed on strong beer
has been dropped by the French government on advice from Brussels.
The tax would have pushed up the French price of beer over 8.5 per
cent abv - most of which comes...
The European market for FABs or alcopops is continuing to grow at
almost exponential rates, but a new report shows that this
expansion will continue to centre on just a handful of countries in
the north of the Continent.
As one US group - Kraft Foods - consolidates its position in the
Middle East with the acquisition of an Egyptian biscuit group,
another American firm - Starbucks - withdraws after dissolving its
Israeli joint venture.
Proposed changes to the formulation, labelling and advertising of
RTD products in the US could spell trouble for Smirnoff Ice and
other flavoured malt beverages in the long term. But with three
months of consultation ahead, Diageo...
Five wineries from the Spanish region of Extremadura are to
increase their output of organic wine. Some 2,607 hectares of
vineyard in Extremadura have already been classified as organic,
and the companies are keen to gain a foothold...
Next week sees the first major international wine show of the year
open its doors to trade visitors. But the 10th annual ProWein show
in Düsseldorf has much to offer than German wines and spirits -
2,800 exhibitors from 41 different...
Irish people the world over will be celebrating St Patrick's Day
today with a pint of stout, but a new report from Datamonitor shows
that Ireland will soon lose its crown as the champion consumer of
the black stuff - South Africa...
John Sunderland, the new president of the UK Food and Drink
Federation, has urged the industry to work together to meet the
challenges of the 21st century - including nutrition, food safety
and CAP reform.
Growth rates for soft drink sales in Eastern Europe are
outstripping those in the West by as much as four times, according
to a new report. Packaged water is showing the greatest growth, but
carbonates still dominate the market as...
Increasing awareness of the need for proper hydration and other
potential health benefits of drinking bottled water are driving
market growth in the UK, but there is still a long way to go before
Continental consumption levels are...
Cafédirect, the UK's leading producer of Fairtrade tea and coffee,
is to launch a major promotional campaign for its new range of
roast and ground coffee to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight next
month.
Continued quality improvements have helped Spanish wine exports to
the US to double digit increases in sales for 2002, according to
preliminary figures from the FEV industry association.
Two fiercely independent brewers, Grolsch and Warsteiner, have
further extended their friendly partnership with an agreement
governing the marketing of Grolsch beer in Italy.
Britvic, the UK's number two soft drink producer, is to launch a
new brand, Freekee Soda, next month which it claims offers a
'unique' drinking experience for British consumers - a combination
of milk and fruit juice,...
Carlsberg continues to build up its operations in the fast-growing
Asian beer market with the acquisition of the Kunming Huashi
brewery for an undisclosed sum.
The Scotch whisky industry is not only one of the UK's biggest
exporters, it is also a major creator of jobs and investor in the
Scottish economy - vitally important at a time of economic
uncertainty in Scotland, according to...
Coca-Cola and its Belgian bottler, CCEB, have agreed to acquire the
natural mineral water business of Belgium's Chaudfontaine -
although they will not buy the company's other drinks brands. A
clear sign of Coke's intention...
Polish vodka brand Luksusowa is to join the Absolut stable
following the conclusion of a deal between the latter's owner, Vin
& Sprit of Sweden, and the Polish government, owner of the
Polmos Zielona Gora distillery which...
Australian wine producers have shrugged off difficult economic
conditions to increase exports to the US in 2002, but the UK still
remains the leading market for wines from Down Under.
Heinz has finally completed the spin-off of a number of its US and
Canadian food and pet food businesses and their subsequent merger
with the Del Monte group. The deal will now allow Heinz to focus on
its core ketchup and frozen food...
German wine companies Racke and Steiner are to join forces to
expand their businesses at home and abroad. Steiner will gain
greater access to international distributors for its own label wine
brands, while both firms will be able...
Tea and coffee are the staple beverages drunk by thousands of
people the world over but despite its longevity, the category is
far from stagnant. This is because of the popularity of iced tea
and coffee, sales of which are expected...
The European Commission has approved new regulations on the maximum
concentrations of a number of substances found in natural mineral
water - a move which it said was vital to ensure continued consumer
protection but which could also...
Pepsi-Cola North America president Dawn Hudson has unveiled
updated, bolder-looking package graphics for Pepsi-Cola and
caffeine-free Pepsi-Cola at the Beverage Digest's Future Smarts
conference in New York City.
