LIQUOR NEWS

Trading profit for the period under review reflected a pleasing improvement over the same period last year. The consumer remained under pressure, high unemployment levels persisted and food retail competition intensified, which all led to a challenging trading environment. This was partly countered by higher internal inflation of 7.2% for the period. read more

New York - Greek winemakers are not pricing their wares in drachmas - yet. read more

Johannesburg - Producers of alcoholic beverages - brewers in particular - stand to benefit from the growing consumer market in Africa as more people on the continent move out of poverty, says Moody's Investors Service in a new report published on Wednesday. read more

It has been a solid first quarter for MillerCoors - the joint venture in the US between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company - driven by strong mix, positive pricing and unseasonably warm weather. read more

Brussels - The world's leading brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser, Beck's and Stella Artois, posted on Monday a 75% jump in first quarter net profit to $1.69bn. read more

Brewer SABMiller said on Monday that Alan Clark, currently head of its European business, would become chief operating officer in July, preparing the ground for him to succeed Graham Mackay as CEO. read more

SA’s wine exports have shown healthy growth in the first three months of this year, with Nigerian connoisseurs developing a keen nose for the local grape. read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] showed a 3% rise in underlying beer volumes in the first three months of 2012 as growth in the emerging markets of Latin America, Africa and Asia offset declines in Europe and North America. read more

SABMiller plans to invest up to $2,5bn in Africa over the next five years to build and refurbish breweries, its head for the region said yesterday, as it looks to slake rising demand for beer on the fast-growing continent. read more

A shock draft bill from the Department of Health that totally prohibits the advertising and promotion of alcoholic products is being reworked behind closed doors by an interdepartmental government task team.  read more

SA’s oldest packaging company, EH Walton, is fighting to reopen its doors this week after a liquidation application by its creditors forced it to close this month, leaving 450 workers without jobs.  read more

Detailed information about optimal ripening helps the company plan harvest of individual vineyards, good sales growth lifts profits read more

Cape Town – The overarching economic picture in the Western Cape is positive, with some of the strongest consumer spending in the country.  read more

Advertising spend jumped 11% to R32.1-billion last year from R28.9-billion the previous year, according to figures released this week by researcher Nielsen. read more

Newcastle Mall regional shopping centre, located in KwaZulu-Natal,was a hive of activity ahead of ahead of its opening on 29 March 2012.  read more

At a beer industry summit last month, Ed McBrien, distribution chief for MillerCoors, compared himself to a typewriter salesman in an iPad age. read more

Johannesburg – The Happy George bar’s Zulu Blonde is on its way to the UK.  read more

Impala looks much like the other clear beers on the market and to the untrained palate it tastes a lot like a traditional beer. On the nose it has a slight difference to it, something one cannot put a finger on. read more

Zulu Blonde, a beer first brewed in a garden shed in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal is selling "like a rocket" since it went on tap in over 900 pubs across the UK last Wednesday. read more

Bloemfontein will soon boast an exciting new shopping experience when the first Makro store in the Free State province opens its doors in October 2012. read more

Soon the trouble of having to commute to town for basic necessities will be a thing of the past for the Duncan Village community, as a new shopping centre will be opening in their township in a few weeks. read more

SIN stocks have toppled the JSE’s traditional resources heavyweights as the South African stock exchange’s biggest companies. read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] said its newly-acquired Foster’s business has lost a licence to import and distribute Corona Extra lager in Australia. read more

Johannesburg - Shoprite Holdings [JSE:SHP] chairperson Christo Wiese has sold his wine estate Lanzerac outside Stellenbosch to a foreign buyer for an undisclosed amount. read more

Johannesburg - There are no definite plans to ban alcohol adverts but all options to curb alcohol abuse are being considered, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe said on Thursday.  read more

Bytes Managed Solutions has been awarded a contract, worth over R100 million in total, to refresh the existing point-of-sale (POS) hardware infrastructure at all Pick n Pay stores over a two-year period. read more

Johannesburg - Shebeens must also comply with the new Gauteng Liquor Act, economic development MEC Qedani Mahlangu said on Sunday.  read more

Nominal retail sales grew 5.97% in the third quarter of 2011, compared on a year-on-year basis. This is the word from property management group Broll , based on its quarterly Retail Barometer. read more

Indians sip only two liters of beer a year, just one-twentieth the amount consumed by Chinese and less than one-fortieth by Americans. SABMiller Plc (SAB), Anheuser- Busch InBev NV (ABI) and Carlsberg A/S (CARLB) see that as an opportunity. read more

Bowler Metcalf , a plastics, plastics mouldings, and carbonated soft drinks maker, says fierce competition in sub-Saharan African markets strained profitability in the interim period to December, but it nonetheless said its results were "reasonable". read more

Since the 2009 recession, grape and wine consumers have opted to buy cheaper, leaving producers in a cost-price squeeze with income failing to keep up with rises in production costs, according to a recent study by wine producers’ body Vinpro. read more

Johannesburg - An end to Gauteng's moratorium on liquor licences will be announced in March, economic development MEC Qedani Mahlangu said in Johannesburg on Monday. read more

Chemicals found in some food packaging can increase the risk of developing heart disease, according to new research from the UK. read more

Brewing giant Heineken has reported rise in 2011 organic net profit by 9.2% to EUR1,584m, compared to 2010 profit of EUR1,456m, driven by higher EBIT (beia), lower interest expense and a lower effective tax rate (beia).  read more

SABMiller plc (SAB) and Molson Coors Brewing Company reported on Thursday that their joint-owned US unit MillerCoors' fourth quarter underlying net income increased 32.5% to US$194 million versus the fourth quarter 2010. read more

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is on a crusade and he expects to make no friends as he targets liquor advertising, tougher smoking laws and noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.  read more

High-end retailer Woolworths will be opening 10 new bigger-format supermarkets in the medium term, CEO Ian Moir said yesterday, the first of which will be on William Nicol Drive in Bryanston, Johannesburg, the street where competitor Pick n Pay has set up its premium offering. read more

Brussels - Heineken, the world’s third-largest brewer, has launched a €500m cost savings plan, and forecast revenue growth in emerging markets would mitigate higher barley costs this year.  read more

Heineken NV (HEIA), the world’s third- biggest brewer, reported annual profit that beat estimates and unveiled new cost-saving targets amid increased expenses for making beers including Desperados and Amstel. read more

Despite some “wobbles” the South African economy will remain strong and the macroeconomic trends that are evident indicate significant upside potential in terms of per capita consumption, which will benefit beer consumption. read more

SABMiller , the world’s second-largest brewer by volume, said it would spend $80m on a new brewery at its Ugandan subsidiary, Nile Breweries, to meet growing local demand. read more

The board of wine and spirits group KWV will consider publishing the details of the valuations of its valuable heritage assets with its interim results, which are due out later this month. read more

SABMiller has signed a definitive transaction agreement with Turkish conglomerate Anadolu Group and its beverage division Anadolu Efes to form a strategic alliance for Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Central Asia and the Middle East. read more

The independent members of the KWV board have told KWV shareholders that the R8.50 a share offer from Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) is not fair. read more

Liquor group Distell (DST) advised on Monday that earnings per share and headline earnings per share for the six months ended 31 December 2011 are likely to be between 20% and 25% higher than the corresponding reporting period of the previous year. read more

Traditional stereotypes about wine in South Africa are fading as a new generation of black wine connoisseurs and producers enters the wine scene. read more

Southern Comfort, the Brown Forman-owned spirits brand, has launched a Facebook campaign featuring the fictional New Orlean's music legend, 'Baron Jazz'. read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] reported a 3% rise in beer volumes in the last three months of 2011 to match forecasts, led by the emerging markets of Africa and Latin America which helped offset falls in North America and Europe.  read more

London - The world’s second-largest brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] launched its first global brand, Miller Genuine Draft (MGD), in China on Monday to drive its growth in the world’s biggest beer market. read more

Brewing giant SABMiller (SAB) subsidiary SABMiller Holdings Inc. has successfully priced a US$7 billion bond issue. read more

A new Food Lover's Market opened on 15 December 2011, in Tokai, Cape Town in a fully renovated Fruit & Veg City store. The first store in the group to adopt this innovative retail design, following international trends, it offers many new food stations for an experiential retail environment. read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] said it would be interested in acquiring the African brewing operations of French group Castel if it were available, as the two announced on Monday that they were strengthening their links in Africa. read more

France-based Grand Cru Vineyard has released the English fizz wine, Meonhill, made from grapes grown from rootstocks planted in Hampshire.  read more

Russian Standard Vodka, a premium Russian vodka brand owned by Roustam Tariko, has bought 70% stake in F.lli Gancia & C, an Italian sparkling-wine and vermouth producer to expand the Italian company. read more

SABMiller will introduce its third beer, Miller Genuine Draft, in Kenya on 8 December, aiming at the premium segment of the local beer market which is currently catered to by rival beer brands Heineken and Tusker Malt. read more

US-based craft brewery Alaskan Brewing is set to add a third seasonal beer, Black IPA, to its existing line up in January 2012 . read more

Heineken is to use Facebook to source the design for a limited edition bottle to celebrate its 140th anniversary next year. read more

Amsterdam - Dutch brewer Heineken NV says it has purchased Galaxy Pub Estate, owner of 918 pubs in Britain, from Royal Bank of Scotland PLC for 412 million pounds ($646 million) in cash. read more

US-based Shipyard Brewing Company has added a new seasonal beer Applehead to its Pumpkinhead line. read more

Spar Group emerged from a challenging consumer environment with a 10.4% growth in turnover and 3.9% increase in earnings as reported earlier this month in a performance partly boosted by the resilience of its liquor outlet, Tops. read more

Dutch brewer Heineken has opened a regional headquarters in Nairobi to drive growth of its brands in the East African beer market. The office will be headed by its East African arm's general manager, Koen Morshuis. read more

Sydney - Australia on Friday approved brewer SABMiller's AU$9.9bn takeover of Foster's, but with strict conditions that will see key operations remain in the country.  read more

French champagne producer Champagne Deutz will implement a new Regional Representation strategy beginning 2012, allowing importers / distributors outside the Champagne Louis Roederer network to represent the brand in the US.  read more

Johannesburg - Grocery retailer Spar Group [JSE:SPP] missed forecasts with a 3.3% rise in full-year profit as tough competition, weak selling prices and fragile consumer demand weighed on its margins. read more

Following strong growth in Africa and Latin America, SABMiller will invest more than $500m to build capacity in these subsidiaries, it has said after releasing its results for the six months ended September. read more

Consol Glass has officially opened its R1,1bn new environmentally efficient, world-class plant in Nigel near Johannesburg, mainly producing bottles for alcoholic beverages. read more

Despite flat lager volume growth and a decline in soft drink volumes in its home market, SAB still managed to grow turnover and market share in the six months ended September, the company said yesterday.  read more

London - Brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] narrowly missed forecasts with an 11% rise in half-year earnings on Thursday, and warned that trading in Europe and North America will stay tough as its input costs tick higher. read more

Global brewing giant SABMiller is to invest in a $295 million capital investment programme in its Peruvian subsidiary Backus. read more

Johannesburg - A sixth-month moratorium on the issuing of new liquor licences in Gauteng still stands, economic development MEC Qedani Mahlangu said on Tuesday.  read more

Suffolk-based firm GreenBottle has developed, what it claims to be, the world’s first paper bottle of wine read more

Dutch brewing major HEINEKEN and Coca-Cola Hellenic have reached an agreement to acquire 41.2% shares in their joint venture beverage company, Pivara Skopje, in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in Europe. read more

SABMiller subsidiary Miller Brands has signed a distribution deal with Van Steenberge Brewery and Sint Stefanus Monastery of Belgium, to launch a new craft beer, St Stefanus Belgian abbey beer, in the UK. read more

Irish beer & cider specialist C&C Group has acquired the Hornsby's Hard Cider brand from North America's E & J Gallo Winery for a cash consideration of up to €20m. The transaction includes trademarks, inventory, formulas and global rights to the second largest North American cider brand. read more

Drinks giant Diageo is launching a ready-to-serve cocktail dispense system using Rapak bag-in-box technology. read more

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's wine imports have remained strong even as global economic uncertainty cuts demand for luxury goods, underscoring the city's credentials as a preeminent wine hub buoyed by strong demand from mainland Chinese buyers.  read more

Brewer launches low cost cassava-based beer for Mozambican market to capture previously untapped low income earners read more

Canada-based Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery has entered into partnership with Andrew Peller Estates to form a Joint Venture with an aim to accelerate the growth of Wayne Gretzky Wines across Canada. read more

Odom-Southern of the Pacific Northwest, a joint venture of Southern Wine & Spirits of America and the Odom Corporation has purchased Washington-based fine wine wholesaler Cavatappi Distribuzione (Cavatappi). read more

Wine estates were managed by Anthonij Rupert who died in 2001, now Baumgarten and Sutherland from Graham Beck Wines bring their expertise read more

The Yanjing Beer Group, a Chinese beverage producer, has selected Miquel Alimentació Group as the new and exclusive distributor of its Yanjing beer in Spain. read more

Global premium spirits, wine, and beer producer Diageo has extended its agreements with Southern Wine & Spirits of America (Southern), a national wine and spirits distributor in the US. Southern will now continue to be the spirits company's exclusive distributor for eight US states. read more

Heineken NV, the world’s third- biggest brewer by volume, reported revenue growth that beat estimates as sales in western Europe fell less than expected. read more

SABMiller official confirms delay saying the process was awaiting approval of some documents by parties including Tanzania’s capital markets regulator read more

Jim Beam bourbon and Skinnygirl cocktails may be enough to convince Pernod-Ricard SA (RI) and Diageo Plc (DGE) to attempt the biggest spirits acquisition in six years. read more

Irish beer and cider producer C&C Group said its Tennent's Lager brand is set to expand into new international markets. The company is planning to take the beer, which is currently sold in Australia and Canada, to the US early next year and later to other countries in Europe. read more

SABMiller, one of the world's largest brewers with interests and distribution agreements across six continents, on Wednesday noted flat lager volumes in its native market South Africa in the first half of its 2012 financial year, impacted by weaker consumer demand. Overall however, the group said it sold 3% more beer in the first half.  read more

International brewer SABMiller and Anadolu Efes on Wednesday unveiled plans to form a strategic alliance that would create an entity that would hold the number two market position, in value terms, in the Russian beer market. read more

VuQo Holdings Corp, the producer of VuQo Premium Vodka, said the company has received a letter of acquisition from a major global company known for establishing and operating bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and hotel and resort properties. read more

Scottish craft brewing giant BrewDog has unveiled a new beer that is brewed at the bottom of the North Sea. The beer, by name Sunk Punk, is said to be the first beer to be brewed underwater. read more

Bodegas Riojanas SA (RIO), a Spanish producer of Rioja wine founded in 1890, expects full-year earnings to climb from a year earlier as promotions and lower operating costs offset a battered domestic market. read more

Virginia's fledgling wine industry got a global boost Tuesday from Donald Trump's millions of dollars, his celebrity and his luxury properties worldwide where wine from his new vineyard will be a staple. read more

A legal battle is brewing between wine and spirits group KWV and some of its minority shareholders, led by activist Chris Logan, following moves by the minority shareholders to present a resolution to shareholders at the company’s upcoming annual general meeting (AGM). read more

SABMiller "unlikely" to be bought by AB InBev because of the potential cost of exiting joint ventures, and the price of a takeover according to London analyst. read more

UK-based design agency Pearlfisher has created a new brand identity for Westons Cider’s Wyld Wood Premium Organic cider. read more

Used by Castel for the application of labels in its two bottling centers of Castel Languedoc Roussillon and Blanquefort Bordeaux, the UPM Raflatac ProLiner PP30 release liner has allowed the French wine company to improve its productivity and environmental performance.  read more

Diageo Plc (DGE), the world’s largest distiller, agreed to buy Ethiopia’s state-owned Meta Abo Brewery for $225 million after outbidding SABMiller Plc (SAB) and Heineken NV. (HEIA) read more

Cape Town - Members of the advertising industry have come together in an effort to prevent the government's proposed ban on alcohol advertising, it emerged on Friday. read more

Johannesburg - Banning alcohol advertising will force small and medium outdoor advert companies to close down, Out of Home Media SA (OHMSA) said on Thursday.  read more

South African Breweries (SAB) brand and alcohol-based cooler Brutal Fruit has relaunched with a new look from SpearPackaging Africa. read more