15-Oct-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Fizzy sambuca is set to hit UK bars in the form of a new RTD range from distributor Hi Spirits. The company is hoping the launch will capitalise on...
Diageo says £120m cost saving programme on track
14-Oct-2009 By Hamish Champ
Drinks giant Diageo, currently embroiled in a dispute with staff at a number of its Scottish operations, has reported net turnover down six per cent...
Comment: Sambuca alcopop anyone?
13-Oct-2009
There we all were waiting for a sambuca-based RTD and along come two at once. The RTD category is apparently in terminal decline, pubs selling 15.4...
Union plans Diageo AGM protest
13-Oct-2009 By Hamish Champ
Diageo workers whose jobs are threatened by a major restructuring proposal are planning to lobby shareholders of the drinks giant at the group's...
Arran Brewery eyes Diageo's Kilmarnock bottling plant
13-Oct-2009
A Scottish island brewery could move its bottling operation into the doomed Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. The firm behind the Arran...
Diageo workers call for face-to-face meeting with chief executive
12-Oct-2009 By Hamish Champ
Workers at Diageo's threatened Kilmarnock bottling plant have written to the boss of the drinks giant demanding to hear from him in person why he has...
12-Oct-2009 By Ewan Turney
Angry Diageo workers at the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock have called for a face-to-face meet with chief executive Paul Walsh. Last month,...
Brands poised to score at World Cup
09-Oct-2009
Brands are clamouring to associate themselves with the cash cow that is the 2010 South African World Cup. South African drinks and major global...
Jameson launches on-trade sampling campaign
08-Oct-2009 By Claire Dodd Claire
Jameson is targeting the on-trade with sampling activity aimed at reaching its target 24-35 year old male audience. Throughout October, Pernod...
'Name change for Diageo?''
02-Oct-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Booze company Diageo may be changing its name. The brewer invented the moniker Diageo after Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997. It's...
01-Oct-2009 By Gemma McKenna
A major counterfeit vodka manufacturing and bottling plant in Leicestershire has been broken up following two days of raids by customs officers.
Trade up trial
01-Oct-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Training staff to recommend specific drinks could mean they sell more profitable products in at least a quarter of all transactions. These are the...
01-Oct-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Absolut vodka is set to benefit from its biggest ever campaign in the UK. Brand owner Pernod Ricard is investing in a new campaign for the premium...
01-Oct-2009 By Sonya Hook
A soft drink developed in association with the World Land Trust has joined the Calypso Soft Drinks line up. The new brand, Calypso Juicy Aid, has...
Blended Scotch set for profile boost
30-Sep-2009
Awareness of blended Scotch whisky brands is to rise as three of the biggest names in the sector announce new promotional campaigns. Launching this...
Diageo "unconvinced" by minimum pricing
30-Sep-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Diageo has hit back at claims by the Scottish government that a minimum price for alcohol would help tackle alcohol-related problems north of the...
Pure pourfection with new training scheme
29-Sep-2009
Diamonds, opening a can of corned beef with that special 'key', finding your wife in bed with your best friend… there are only a few things harder...
Diageo bids for Merry Christmas with Baileys and Smirnoff
28-Sep-2009
Diageo is giving two of its biggest sellers a Christmas time push with advertising campaigns and initiatives aimed at driving sales of Baileys and...
25-Sep-2009 By Jo Bruce
Diageo is launching a campaign for food-led pubs to encourage sales of Baileys after a meal. The Sweet Spot campaign will run from September to the...
17-Sep-2009 By Sonya Hook
Diageo GB is ploughing £2m into its Smirnoff vodka brand in the run-up to Christmas. The drinks giant will be bringing its recently launched...
Comment: How much impact will an alcohol advertising ban really have on pubs?
16-Sep-2009
How much of an impact would a ban on alcohol advertising have on pubs' ability to sell booze? Maybe not that much. The British Medical Association...
Wetherspoons confirms new drinks range
14-Sep-2009
Wetherspoons has confirmed it is introducing a large range of new drinks. As exclusively revealed by thepublican.com last week, alcoholic ginger beer...
Sidekick sidesteps shooter controversy
14-Sep-2009
The maker of Sidekick liqueur is launching an advertising campaign that will bid to step clear of the irresponsible drinking reputation that plagues...
Unions claim Diageo jobs battle has "long way to go
11-Sep-2009 By James Wilmore
Unions fighting jobs cuts by Diageo in Scotland have vowed to set up their fight against the drinks giant's plans - declaring there is a "very long...
10-Sep-2009 By Gemma McKenna
Trade unions at Diageo have vowed to step up their campaign to save jobs across the drinks giant's Scottish operations. The reaction comes after...
Council "dismayed" by Diageo rejection
09-Sep-2009 By Hamish Champ
East Ayrshire Council has reacted with what it called "utter dismay" at Diageo's decision to reject government-backed plans to save the threatened...
Diageo rejects government-backed proposals for Scottish bottling plant
09-Sep-2009 By Hamish Champ
Drinks giant Diageo looks set to make up to 900 of its Scottish staff redundant after rejecting government-backed proposals to keep two of its...
Football fans urged to show support for Diageo workers
04-Sep-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Diageo workers fighting to save their jobs will make their case heard at Hampden Park tomorrow when the Scotland football team takes on Macedonia....
Matt Eley: Tesco - not 'every little' deal helps
03-Sep-2009
The latest industry attempt to tackle problem drinking kicked-off this week with the launch of the Campaign for Smarter Drinking. Essentially this...
Comment: When any publicity is bad publicity
03-Sep-2009
People who say any publicity is good publicity should try telling that to licensees affected by the stink around Diageo at the moment. The spirits...
Brandies all round
03-Sep-2009
Courvoisier is one of many brands whose makers are claiming to be demystifying the cognac category and making it more accessible for drinkers in...
'Diageo plant closure could cost local economy £15m'
03-Sep-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Diageo's decision to close its Johnnie Walker whisky bottling and packaging plant in Kilmarnock is likely to cost the East Ayrshire economy about...
03-Sep-2009 By Ewan Turney
The closure of the Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock could cost the local economy £15m a year, the Scottish finance minister has warned....
WSTA reveals conference line-up
02-Sep-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Shadow health minister Mike Penning MP has been unveiled as the keynote speaker at the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) Conference later...
01-Sep-2009 By MA reporter
Supporting venues in creating one-of-a-kind experiences across the UK
'Raise a glass and cut dementia risk'
28-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
A drink or two a day could help ward off dementia, according to new research. Light to moderate alcohol consumption has been found to cut the chances...
27-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Drinks giant Diageo, whose brands include Guinness and Smirnoff vodka, has reported a 10% rise in annual earnings despite a challenging year. In Britain, net sales were up 2% driven by strong spirits and wine performance.
Licensees' Choice Awards: winners for a reason
27-Aug-2009
The Licensees' Choice was launched this year and it has proved to be an unqualified success. The results have drawn huge interest from across the...
Diageo CEO effectively says 'no' to Scottish plant compromise
27-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh today effectively ruled out any compromise over the proposed closure of two of the group's bottling plants in...
Johnnie Walker campaigners protest at Diageo HQ
27-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Campaigners fighting to save hundreds of jobs at Diageo's bottling facility in East Ayshire took their protest to the company's London headquarters...
Diageo reports operating profits of £2.6bn
27-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
Drinks giant Diageo, currently facing a revolt over its plans to close plants in Scotland, has reported a 13 per cent increase in operating profits...
27-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Diageo boss Paul Walsh has said he is not interested in receiving public funds to help keep its bottling plant in Kilmarnock open. Speaking at its...
Unions and politicians step up fight to save Scottish Diageo jobs
26-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
Scottish trade unions, politicians and local authorities have met with finance minister John Swinney to draw up plans to fight Diageo's proposed...
Beer cocktails help pub to boost in sales
26-Aug-2009
A pub selling a range of 'beer cocktails' has experienced an average 26 per cent jump in beer sales on the nights they have been on offer. The Dial,...
Council takes Diageo plant closure case to Scottish government
25-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
Members of East Ayrshire Council are to meet with Scottish Cabinet Secretary John Swinney later today to thrash out alternative plans to Diageo's...
24-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Trade union Unite has called on MPs and MSPs to turn down offers of hospitality from Diageo at the Johnnie Walker Golf Championship at Gleneagles...
24-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Courvoisier is targeting those drinkers who don't know what they want to drink when they get to the bar. A total of 47 hand-selected bars will take...
Pub bitch: Crocodile shoes, famous faces and Dr Diageo
21-Aug-2009
Put yourself in my shoes In a touching scene, the parable of the Good Samaritan was recreated in a pub doorway in Devon on one of the hottest days of...
The Licensees' Choice Awards 2009
17-Aug-2009
Welcome to the very first Licensees' Choice Awards! This new initiative is designed to celebrate the drinks brands in the UK pub market that...
'Summit organised to help save Diageo jobs'
14-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
A summit aimed at saving up to 900 whisky industry jobs will take place today. Campaigners will meet in Glasgow to map out the next stage of the...
