Consumers all over the world are trading up for their drinks, says
SABMiller's chief executive, telling an analyst conference how the
beer industry can secure long-term growth.
A new report has injected a much-needed shot of optimism into the
stagnant US beer market for 2006, yet the bad news just keeps on
coming in Western Europe.
Middle weight brewers Greene King and Worlverhampton & Dudley
continued to show there is life and lucrative deals to be had in
Britain's ale market, despite poor consumer confidence.
The sky is the limit when it comes to beverage innovation, so long
as consumers continue to trust the claims made by manufacturers,
according to an interesting seminar at yesterday's FiE show in
Paris.
Rising alcohol consumption in the UK is contributing to a sharp
increase in mouth cancer cases, warns cancer charity, adding more
pressure on firms to actively promote responsible drinking.
Carlsberg's plan to launch its Tetley's Original ale in UK pubs may
thrive on the country's ale revival, yet the move is risky as
others warn of falling consumer confidence.
A herbal beer developed by an Indian research institute will
finally reach the market in 2006, claims the researcher, after
several delays to its launch.
Seasonal beer is Anheuser Busch's latest attempt to reinvigorate
itself on America's stagnate beer market as the firm attempts to
get closer to the craft beers that are out-performing the sector.
Carlsberg has confirmed it plans to shut around half its European
breweries within a decade to reflect a permanent shift in beer
market growth from west to east, and more specifically, China.
Hopes of an early recovery on the US beer market have been dashed
as Anheuser Busch reports falling domestic sales and warns that it
expects full-year profits to drop below 2004 levels, reports
Chris Mercer.
UK brewer Greene King has shown how the right mix of a few flagship
brands and ownership of various pub chains can make real ale a good
money spinner in Britain, despite diehard opposition, writes
Chris Mercer.
Acquisitions have helped Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries to a
solid sales rise in the UK, the country recently named as one of
the world's toughest beer markets by Goldman Sachs, reports
Chris Mercer.
Two of the world's biggest brewers have announced plans to expand
in Russia, yet competition will intensify as an outdoor drinking
ban and slow economic progress threaten the market's blistering
growth, writes Chris Mercer.
Falling beer sales in the US have left big brewers like Anheuser
Busch banking on new products and better marketing to revitalise
growth as small-time craft beers go from strength to strength,
writes Chris Mercer.
Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries has signed a deal to buy UK
rival Jennings for £45.8 million as the firm defies protestors to
capture more of Britain's resurgent real ale sector, reports
Chris Mercer.
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has launched the
latest edition of its code of practice for the dispense of beer by
pressure systems in licensed premises, aimed at helping designers,
engineers, contractors, suppliers,...
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...
Fuller Smith & Turner, the brewer of London Pride ale, has
geared up for growth by investing in a £2 million new line of keg
racking equipment supplied by German manufacturer KHS, writes
Kim Hunter Gordon.
Britain's biggest brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is to
combine its Indian brewing assets with those of United Breweries,
the largest beer maker on the sub-continent, to form a group
accounting for more than 50 per...
The Irish government's 2005 budget, which halves the alcohol
products tax for microbreweries, comes at a time when Europeans are
drinking more beer from small breweries than ever before, writes
Kim Hunter Gordon.
Australian beer giant Foster's has teamed up with Russia's leading
brewer to become the latest contender for riches in the Russian
beer market gold mine, but the competition is strong, writes
Chris Mercer.
The recent move to ban beer advertising in Russia is just one of a
number of challenges facing brewers there, but a recent survey of
the country's leading operators suggests that most of them are
relishing the challenges to come....
Russian brewers, facing the impact of a recent ban on advertising
their products, are hoping to keep consumer awareness high through
new product launches, including premium beers, reports Angela
Drujinina.
It is over a month since the Russian authorities clamped down on
beer adverts, and the impact is already being felt. But there is
worse still to come for Russia's brewers, with the legislators
preparing more rules which will...
The Brewing Industry Association of the China National Food
Industry Association has announced its support and cooperation in
the organisation of BevTek & BrewTek China 2005, which will be
held in conjunction with ProPak China...
China's beer market - the biggest in the world - is continuing to
consolidate into the control of just a handful of major companies,
but while international brewers have certainly been quick to stake
their claims, there are still...
Three major European brewing companies are competing to purchase a
small brewery in the previously unexplored region of Russia's far
east, as the scrap to profit from one of the world's
fastest-growing beer markets hots...
Plzenský Prazdroj, the leading Czech brewer, has completed the
first stages of an upgrade to its Plzen brewery as part of aims to
boost the production of its Pilsner Urquell beer to export markets.
The Russian government has introduced new laws restricting the
advertisement of beer in the country. The rules for the previously
unregulated market are said to go even further than EU regulations,
but despite being seemingly heavy-handed...
Over the course of the last few months the China beer market has
witnessed frenzied activity as international brewery companies race
to increase their footprint in what is now the world's second
largest market by volume. But...
Germans have a reputation as Europe's beer-drinking heavyweights,
but an increasing lack of interest in beer among young consumers
there means that German brewers may have to look to other western
European nations such as Italy...
Brewers targeting the Russian beer market are increasingly shifting
their focus to premium lager, despite the fact that large numbers
of Russian consumers still cannot afford to buy it - an indication,
above all, of the strength of...
On the back of this week's dramatic acquisition of China's Harbin
Brewery by the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, ahead of its
nearest rival, SABMiller, Scottish & Newcastle has announced
that it has signed...
Growth in the RTD spirit sector might be slowing in mature markets
such as the UK, but other European countries are just now starting
to see the first such drinks appear on supermarket shelves,
tailored for local tastes. In the beer-loving...
Plzenskly Prazdroj, part of the SABMiller group, has launched a low
alcohol lemon-apple flavoured malt drink onto the Czech market, the
first of its kind.
Harbin, the leading Chinese brewery, has advised shareholders to
resist SABMiller's takeover bid for the company. The bid was
influenced by Ancheuser-Busch's 29 per cent acquisition of the
company earlier in the week. SABMiller...
Diageo, maker of Guinness, Ireland's iconic stout drink, said it
plans to close its London brewery by the summer of 2005 and
consolidate production at its historic St James's Gate brewery in
Dublin. The company said the...
Amersham, an international bioscience company with a background in
the pharmaceutical industry, is hoping to find new markets for a
number of its products in the food and beverage industry. First on
its list is the brewing sector,...
Beer giant Anheuser-Busch is looking into a low carb version of its
world famous Bud beer. Following the success of its low-carb beer
Michelob, the transformation of its best selling beer may be an
indication of the staying power...
Britain's drinks industry has warned that an increase in beer duty
and the ongoing threat of tax stamps designed to cut down on duty
evasion, both announced by Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday, will
simply increase the cost...
A warm glow from a regular pint at the pub might not be the only
benefit to the health as a small study finds moderate beer
consumption could help prevent osteoporosis through the
bioavailability of silicon rooted in the beverage.
