A WKD sort of cider
30-Apr-2009
The latest entry to the cider market comes not from a West Country cider farm nor from the power-houses of Magners or Bulmers, but from WKD.That's...
23-Apr-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Weight-conscious women looking for a lower alcohol tipple are the target of the latest VK Vodka Kick variant set to hit the market. Brand-owner...
Drinks giants launch new training scheme
02-Apr-2009
The giants of the drinks trade have partnered to launch a major new barstaff training scheme.Coordinated by Cask Marque, companies including Diageo,...
'Traders try to scupper Tesco alcohol plans'
02-Apr-2009
Traders and shoppers have launched a last-ditch attempt to scupper Tesco's plans to move in to Wanstead - by urging the council not to grant the...
Diageo launches margarita mix
01-Apr-2009
Diageo has added its weight to the pre-mix cocktail market with a new Jose Cuervo margarita product.To make a margarita with the mix, barstaff need...
16-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
The 30-second ad in the "Have you got a WKD side" is to air on TV until early May.
Coors launches 'one stop shop' for online ordering
10-Mar-2009
Coors Brewers has launched a new website to provide a "one stop shop" for freetrade customers ordering from the company.Licensees will be able to...
Comment: We're dangerously obsessed with price
09-Mar-2009
The past week has emphasised how dangerously obsessed with price we are.The trade's submissions in the run-up to the Budget are of huge importance,...
05-Mar-2009 By Robyn Lewis
The RTD market is experiencing a shake-up this month as two of the biggest brands announce reformulations. Diageo is lowering the abv of its Smirnoff...
Alcoholic ginger beer launches
23-Feb-2009
Halewood International is targeting the on-trade with the launch of an alcoholic ginger beer that it hopes can capitalise on the over ice drinking...
Diageo introduces new trade terms
17-Feb-2009
Diageo has established a new set of trade terms for licensees, claiming the new deals are part of its drive to make the spirits category more...
Watching the watchdog
16-Feb-2009
THERE IS finally some hope for pubs and drinks companies facing increased crackdowns on how they promote themselves.Mark Hunter, chief executive of...
Opinion: Coming together to deal with the devil
10-Feb-2009
"Try to think as the other person thinks" - Michael Corleone: The Godfather - Part IIThe government is big on dealing with a single message from the...
03-Feb-2009 By MA reporter
Every licensee wants to back a winner. So to help you become a winner, the MA recently compiled a brand new listing of the 50 drinks that made the...
Opinion: 99p pint won't be around long
20-Jan-2009
The real question that arises from the Wetherspoon's 99p pint story is: what happens if these extreme promotions become the norm? You'll see from...
Constellation restructures
07-Jan-2009
Constellation Europe has announced major changes to its structure, with two senior members of the team appointed to new positions. The UK and...
Untangling the Matthew Clark/ Punch Taverns tie-up
07-Jan-2009
MATTHEW CLARK'S role in supplying UK pubs was already complicated enough before Punch Taverns took a 50 per cent stake in it in mid-2007. Acquired by...
Drinks chief: Don't blame irresponsible drinking on our promotions
06-Jan-2009
Corporate Social responsibility (CSR). The words must ring round the head offices of UK drinks companies like the eerie clanking of the chains of...
Comment: Queen's speech no concern for responsible licensees
15-Dec-2008
Should the content concerning the drinks industry in the Queen's Speech cause us concern?As debate continues following the Policing and Crime Bill...
New Diageo products to be brand extensions
11-Dec-2008
Diageo Great Britain's managing director of has suggested that new launches from the company are likely to take the form of extensions to existing...
WKD returns to TV screens
03-Dec-2008
RTD brand WKD returns to TV screens nationwide this month with a new advert - its fourth burst of TV advertising this year.The ad, "Warm Up", will...
Opinion: Barrrr, Darling!
01-Dec-2008
The fourth series of Blackadder got great comic mileage out of a character simply because his name was Darling. If only such mirth could be found in...
Get the punters in
28-Nov-2008
Pubs and bars have taken quite a pounding in recent months, as the off trade, and supermarkets in particular, entices customers away from their local...
Opinion: Decide the future of your drinks offer
21-Nov-2008
Speakers at the recent Publican Pub Trade Summit made one consistent point above all - and I believe deciding whether you agree with it is vital to...
Below-cost selling not "immoral", says former Asda chief
12-Nov-2008 By James Wilmore
Business leader and former Asda chief Archie Norman has argued that below-cost selling of alcohol is not "immoral" - but supermarkets should agree to...
Economic downturn provides opportunities
10-Nov-2008
MANY OF us carry out business operations on the basis of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. So, in some respects, recessions can be good for us in...
Opinion: Why the secrecy, drinks producers?
10-Nov-2008
Am I alone in wishing there wasn't such a need for secrecy among drinks producers? At a time when the pub trade is crying out for a spark of...
Can new product innovation arrest declining sales?
30-Oct-2008
Drinks producers need to focus on developing new products in order to target changing consumer demographics among pub goers, according to a new...
22-Oct-2008 By Ewan Turney
Beverage Brands has signed a deal for its WKD brand to sponsor boxer Ricky Hatton's new show on Nuts TV. The show, Ricky Speaks, will feature the...
Global Brands announces new managing director
02-Oct-2008
A number of management changes have been announced at independent drinks company, Global Brands. Steve Perez has relinquished his position as...
RTDs: Global Brands boss sticks to what he's good at
12-Sep-2008
Welcome to the weird world of Global Brands.The company known for its own Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Vodka Kick (VK) range was, this time last year, widely...
RTDs: Cocktail hybrids
12-Sep-2008
A developing sub-sector within RTDs is what Steve Perez, the managing director of Vodka Kick (VK) owner Steve Perez refers to as "hybrid...
RTDs: Survival of the fittest
12-Sep-2008
What is the state of the current RTD market? The volume of RTDs sold in the on-trade in the year to May 2008 was 17 per cent lower than in the...
Drinks giant slams Scottish government
01-Sep-2008
Diageo has slammed plans by the Scottish government to crack down on pubs' alcohol sales and promotions, and proposed an alternative system of...
28-Aug-2008 By John Harrington
Guinness gets its highest share ever of the beer category, despite flat sales.
22-Aug-2008 By Ewan Turney
Alcopop Red Square Reloaded has been ordered to alter its packaging to make it clear the drink contains alcohol. Industry watchdog Portman Group's...
13-Aug-2008 By Ewan Turney
WKD are marking the start of the football season by giving one lucky MA reader the chance to re-enact classic Premier League clashes with their very own table football.
31-Jul-2008 By Jessica Harvey
Beverage Brands has published two WKD footie tactics sheets providing licensees with tips on how they can drive footfall and generate business...
Consumers tired of celeb-based marketing
25-Jul-2008
Brands should stop basing marketing campaigns around sports, music and TV stars as consumers are becoming fed up of celebrity marketing, according to...
Football Preview: Brands are football supporters
16-Jul-2008
Big-name brands are once more piling behind football, in the hope that they can associate their drinks with one of the biggest pub draws there...
Cider: Is it back for good?
15-Jul-2008
They said it was a fad. They were wrong.Summers after cider's big bloom, the category continues to be massively important for licensees. The latest...
WKD plans footie-related pub kits
10-Jul-2008
Beverage Brands will be offering licensees the chance to receive football-related pub kits, downloads and offers for its WKD brand in the run-up to...
West Eleven teams up with Bibendum
30-May-2008
Drinks wholesaler Bibendum is getting behind the on-trade launch of West Eleven, a new range of pre-mixed, premium cocktails.The West Eleven range...
30-May-2008
InterContinental Brands (ICB) has launched the first alcoholic smoothie and will back it with two TV sponsorship deals
WKD launches new ads
20-May-2008
A WKD packaging redesign is to be supported by a £2m wave of advertising that will launch on May 26.While its bottle redesign makes a significant...
'Tesco refuses to sell alcohol to adults with children'
15-May-2008
Tesco is refusing to sell alcohol to parents shopping with their children under rules designed to tackle underage drinking. The supermarket has told...
Britons shun lunchtime drinking
02-May-2008 By Tony Halstead
Drinking after work is now more popular, an SAB Miller survey shows
Tesco struggling with underage policy
22-Apr-2008
An industry chief has urged Tesco to "get its house in order" after four out of 10 stores failed to comply with its policy to combat underage...
16-Apr-2008 By John Harrington
Beverage Brands upset at being singled out by new marketing crackdown
WKD warned for promoting 'sexual and social success'
16-Apr-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
WKD producer Beverage Brands has removed a selection of images from its website after a ruling by the Portman Group. Alcohol Concern complained to...
