Food & Drink

Micro makes waves

05-Jul-2002

Brothers Jeff and Steve Pickthall aim, through South London's Microbar, to 'rescue good beer from weirdy-beardies'. Ben McFarland finds out moreJeff...

CAMRA calls for competition investigation following Beer Orders decision

05-Jul-2002

Consumer group CAMRA is calling on the Government to launch an investigation into competition in the industry.The Campaign for Real Ale has published...

Interbrew outlines plans for future growth

03-Jul-2002

The newly enlarged Interbrew UK has outlined plans for its future growth following the integration of the former Bass Brewers brands.Chief executive...

S&N quashes 6C merger speculation

03-Jul-2002

Scottish & Newcastle has quashed talk of a Six Continents merger - for now - and says it will remain pub operators for "as long as it is in our...

Historic brewery to close as Tolly is sold

03-Jul-2002

T.D.Ridley & Sons, the Essex-based brewer, has bought the Tollemache & Cobbold Brewery business for an undisclosed sum.Tolly Cobbold's...

Affligem takes on the on-trade brands

02-Jul-2002

Affligem, an Abbey Beer made in Belgium, is about to take on Stella and Leffe in the on-tradeTwo beers a day, and complete silence. Those were the...

'Transformational year' for Euro No.1 S&N

02-Jul-2002

Scottish & Newcastle, the international brewer and retailer, has unveiled full-year earnings of £442.3m, to make it the largest brewer by profit...

Halewood International blasted over Hard Core launch

27-Jun-2002

Alcohol Concern has called for Halewood International to be taken off the list of signatories to The Portman Group's code of practice following the...

Wine and PPS brands challenge lager in the top 100 drinks brands

27-Jun-2002

Wine and premium packaged spirits (PPS) are turning up the heat on the mainstream lager brands according to an ACNielsen survey of the UK's top 100...

ScotCo invests £15m in major relaunch of Kronenbourg 1664

27-Jun-2002

Scottish Courage has raised the stakes in the premium lager market with a major relaunch of its Kronenbourg 1664 brand.To mark the brand's 50th...

New carbonated vodka aims to get you in the mood

25-Jun-2002

A lightly sparkling vodka with extracts from exotic herbal aphrodisiacs has been unleashed into the UK white spirit market.Large Distilleries, based...

Promotion deciders

24-Jun-2002

With cider offering great margins it is a vital category to promote to your customers.Promotional activity is a key part of any business mix and...

Wine is not different

24-Jun-2002

Wine is often neglected when it comes to promoting drinks - much to the disappointment of drinkers.Having selected the wines to stock and decided how...

A timely toast for an 850-year-old classic brew - Leffe

24-Jun-2002

Centuries of brewing tradition and beer culture are being toasted across Europe as the world's best-known Belgian abbey beer, Leffe, celebrates a...

First Drinks launches rum-matured scotch

24-Jun-2002

First Drinks Brands is looking to broaden the scotch whisky market with the introduction of a new rum-matured varietal under its Glenfiddich Single...

Bacardi unveils new Vinnie Jones ad

24-Jun-2002

Bacardi-Martini has unveiled the latest instalment in its TV advertising campaign for Bacardi rum.The new advert, part of the brand's £7.5m "Welcome...

Ads miss their mark as World Cup brands fail to be recognised

17-Jun-2002

Drinks brands that associate themselves with the World Cup are struggling to get their message through to pub-goers, according to a survey carried...

Campaigners continue fight for 100 per cent liquid pint

14-Jun-2002

Full pint campaigners are urging ministers to reconsider their decision to drop plans for a compulsory 100 per cent liquid pint.Southwark Council in...

Group goes to OFT with lessees' rent and beer price grievances

13-Jun-2002

Lessees are being encouraged to take their grievances over high rent and beer prices charged by the giant pub operators to the Office of Fair Trading...

CAMRA votes to allow Greene King ales back into GBBF

13-Jun-2002

Greene King beer brands Ruddles and Old Speckled Hen are to make a welcome return to the Great British Beer Festival following a controversial ban at...

SAB buys Miller in £3.8bn deal

31-May-2002

South African Breweries has agreed a £3.8bn deal to take over Miller, the US brewer owned by tobacco giant Philip Morris.It has also given its...

Coors to roll-out Carling Extra Cold

29-May-2002

Coors is looking to strengthen its hand in the lager sector this summer with the roll-out of a colder version of its flagship Carling brand."Carling...

Footie pundit Hansen to star in latest Carlsberg ad

29-May-2002

BBC football pundit Alan Hansen is set to switch to ITV screens during the forthcoming World Cup for Carlsberg's lastest installment in its...

Guinness UDV loses major spirits account

24-May-2002

GuinnessUDV (GUDV) has lost the rights to distribute Jack Daniel's whiskey in the UK after US owner Brown-Forman decided to strengthen its links with...

GUDV on the Edge with launch of new Gordon's FAB

24-May-2002

Guinness UDV (GUDV) is looking to coax older drinkers into the growing flavoured alcoholic beverage (FAB) sector with the launch of Gordon's Edge.The...

Guernsey Brewery's Golden Jubliee street party blocked

24-May-2002

Guernsey Brewery has had its plans for a Golden Jubilee street party blocked by the island's home affairs committee.It has refused to let the brewer...

Pubco giants under attack over high rent and beer charges

23-May-2002

Lessees across the country claim they are being put out of business by the high prices giant pub operators charge for rent and beer.The problem has...

Carlsberg signs £40m sponsorship deal with England team

23-May-2002

Carlsberg has cemented its links with the world of football by signing a major sponsorship deal with the English Football Association worth £40m. In...

Coors consolidates FAB position with two range extensions

20-May-2002

Coors Brewers is looking to strengthen its hand in the flavoured alcoholic beverage (FAB) market with the launch of two new range extensions.June 17...

Boru Black launched into UK by Interbrew

16-May-2002

Belgian brewing giant Interbrew has launched a new premium packaged spirit (PPS) based on the Irish vodka brand Boru.Boru Black, launched into the UK...

Drinking for England

15-May-2002

Ben McFarland meets Frazer Thompson of New Wave English Wines, a company hoping to boost the popularity of the home-grown tipple. Not a lot of people...

Brew sexy thing

13-May-2002

Cask ale has turned to that old adage: sex sells. John Porter looks at how brewers and pub companies are targeting younger drinkersA blindfolded...

John Smith's replaces cardboard No Nonsense Man with comedian

13-May-2002

John Smith's has retired the cardboard cut-out No Nonsense Man, replacing him with comedian Peter Kay in a new ad series launching this week. The new...

S&N and 6C in pubs merger talks

13-May-2002

Six Continents, the hotel and pub operator, has held talks with Scottish and Newcastle, Britain's biggest brewer, to create a £4.5bn pub company by...

London police and trade unite to target drunkenness

10-May-2002

Police in the centre of London have joined forces with licensees to tackle the problem of drunkenness.The Metropolitan Police teamed up with...

Double launch boosts Tetley's place in ale sector

09-May-2002

Carlsberg-Tetley (C-T) is giving the ale sector a boost with the launch of two Tetley brand extensions - a chilled version and a premium cask...

Will PPSs ever be taken seriously?

08-May-2002

PPSs are growing up but will they ever be taken seriously? Ben McFarland sees what lies in store.Time flies when you're having fun. It will come as a...

S&N's Gray expectations

08-May-2002

Scottish and Newcastle Pub Enterprises has just won official approval for its franchises. Phil Mellows talked to marketing director Martyn Gray....

Sebor's reusable absinthe pipe set to spark controversy

02-May-2002

Sebor is looking to strengthen its position as the UK's best- selling absinthe with the launch of a new "sipping pipe". The move to introduce the...

MPs will lobby to force introduction of sliding scale for beer duty

02-May-2002

The government could make a dramatic u-turn and introduce a comprehensive sliding scale of beer duty, after complaints about Gordon Brown's...

Small and brewtiful

01-May-2002

There are hundreds of small brewers that will benefit from the Budget duty cuts. Ben McFarland suggests just a few local tipples to stock up on....

W&DB's Marston's Pedigree ads branded 'misleading'

30-Apr-2002

Hampshire brewer Gales is calling for Wolverhampton & Dudley to modify its Marston's Pedigree advertising after it branded the latest campaign...

Finding wines tttttthat sell

29-Apr-2002

When selecting a wine range you need to be able to please different customers at different times.Getting your wine offering right means starting with...

A cider to suit

29-Apr-2002

Matthew Clark Cider offers brands that accommodate both the range of styles and the regional differences.Cider is a major drinks category and an...

Allied set to kickstart liqueur category with Tia Maria spin off

29-Apr-2002

Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine (ADUK) is looking to reinvigorate the liqueur category with a major expansion of its Tia Maria brand.As part of a...

Campari embarks on joint venture in UK spirit drive

26-Apr-2002

Scotland's Morrison Bowmore Distillers (MBD) and Italy's Campari Group have joined forces to launch a new joint venture company aimed squarely at the...

TSOs shocked at pubs still passing off cheap spirits

25-Apr-2002

Licensees are still breaking the law by passing off cheap spirits as popular brands, despite a major crackdown by trading standards officers...

Brakspear considers brewing exit

23-Apr-2002

Brakspear, the historic brewer, is thought to be close to calling time on its 200-year-old beer-making operations.The move comes in the wake of last...

British brewers to drive US sales with tasting

23-Apr-2002

British brewers have mounted a push to increase beer sales in the US, with a tasting at the British Consulate General in New York.The US is the...

Bacardi Breezer introduces Ruby Grapefruit flavour

22-Apr-2002

Bacardi Breezer has expanded its range of flavours with the introduction of a new Ruby Grapefruit variant. Following the successful launch of Bacardi...

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