What the Sunday papers said
Whitbread is considering a disposal of high street restaurant assets including TGI Friday's and Pizza Hut as part of a strategic review conducted by new chief executive Alan Parker. Advisers to the company are floating the idea of selling Whitbread's interest in the businesses in favour of a stronger focus on its expanding hotel and pub restaurant divisions - Sunday Express
Workers at Interbrew UK's threatened Boddingtons Brewery in Manchester are to be balloted over strike action after last week's talks with management ended in a 24 hour walkout. The Transport & General Workers' union is also considering what action it can take at Interbrew's European breweries and headquarters in Belgium - Mail on Sunday
French drinks group Pernod Ricard is considering a bid for scotch whisky distiller Glenmorangie. The group, which owns the Chivas Regal, Clan Campbell and the Glenlivet whisky brands, has instructed its corporate adviser JP Morgan to evaluate the Glenmorangie business - Mail on Sunday
A burgeoning industry in fake ID cards is undermining the Government's attempt to crack down on under-age drinking. More than a dozen firms based in the UK are offering children authentic-looking ID cards as false proof that they are 18. The plastic cards, in the same format as recently issued driving licences, are so realistic that pubs, clubs and off-licences complain they cannot tell the difference between legitimate cards and the fakes - Independent on Sunday
LVMH, the world's largest owner of luxury brands, has emerged as a likely bidder for Glenmorangie. Paris-based Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, which already runs a worldwide distribution network for its wines and brandies in a joint venture with the drinks giant Diageo, has no whisky brands at present and is seen as a good fit by drinks analysts - The Sunday Times
Ireland is becoming a nation of wine lovers, swapping the pub for the comfort of home, according to a new report from Datamonitor. Wine drinkers downed a record 69m bottles last year while beer sales slumped. Beer sales in pubs dropped by 3 per cent last year while sales of wine rose by 5 per cent. Sales of beer are expected to fall further this year due to the smoking ban - The Sunday Times (Irish edition)
SABMiller's joint venture China Resources Brewing has been on an aggressive buying spree. Last weeks deal to but three loss-making Yangtze river delta breweries formerly owned by New Zealand-listed Lion Nathan gives it access to 12 per cent of China's beer market. Only domestic brewer Tsingtao has a larger market share - The Business
Around 6 million beer drinkers are once again descending on Munich to hear tuba-driven music and hoist giant mugs of hop juice at the biggest party in the world - Oktoberfest. Beer prices have hardly risen since last year, an indication that a weak German economy has its bright side. Munich has put up with the shenanigans for nearly two centuries because of the money it brings in, expected to be one billion euros this year, including the 35 euro on-the-spot fine for public urination - The Business
The number of women who are seeking treatment at hospital casualty units after being injured in drunken catfights is rising sharply, consultants warn. Late-night brawls between women who have been binge-drinking are resulting in horrific injuries such as facial wounds caused by glassing, broken jaws, and bleeding scalps where girls have had their hair pulled out - The Sunday Telegraph
Caesars Entertainment, the US casino owner that operates five casinos in Las Vegas, including the Caesars Palace and Flamingo complexes, wants to open the UK's biggest and most lavish gambling resort at the new Wembley stadium in north London. It is in talks with developer Quintain Estates owner of the 42 acres surrounding the new National Stadium at Wembley - The Sunday Telegraph