Industry News
• Pernod registers Cuban rum Havanista TM
Pernod Ricard has registered the trademark Havanista in the US with a view to launching the brand there if the country lifts its embargo on Cuban imports. Produced and bottled in Cuba, Havanista is being positioned as “a premium Cuban rum aimed specifically at the US market.” The move follows yesterday’s decision by the US [...]
• Pernod Ricard’s sales grow 5%. Emerging markets offset France drop
Solid growth in sales of cognac and other liquors in emerging markets offset a domestic decline for French drinks group Pernod Ricard, which reported a 5 percent increase in third-quarter sales Thursday. The maker of Beefeater gin and Jameson whisky said the drop in French sales was largely due to an excise duty increase. Still, [...]
• Bud Light Asked to End Blood Sport Sponsorship of Cage-Fighting
Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B InBev) issued a warning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) cage fighting group that homophobic and sexist comments would not be tolerated. The comments came on the eve of the beer giant’s annual shareholders meeting April 25 in Brussels, Belgium.The Brazilian managed global corporation has also generated recent controversy over beer sales [...]
• Jim Beam maker buys Calico Jack & Pinnacle Vodka brands
As liquor sales boom, Beam Inc. is expanding its spirits empire, paying $605 million in cash to buy the Pinnacle Vodka and Calico Jack rum brands from White Rock Distilleries. Beam’s long list of products already include Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon, Courvoisier cognac, Canadian Club whiskey and Skinnygirl Cocktails (which saw a 388% [...]
• Skinnygirl Leads Spirits In Volume % Growth. Aaaargh.
Low-calorie Skinnygirl Cocktails had the fastest volume growth last year in percentage terms, according to data released by Technomic’s Adult Beverage Resource Group. Skinnygirl sold 586,000 9-liter cases last year, a 388.3% jump in volume over 2010, the research group’s 2012 SpiritsTAB Report shows. Beam Global acquired Skinnygirl from its creator, reality TV star Bethenny [...]
• Constellation Courts Millennials With 50 New Wine Brands
–Company plans to launch more than 50 new wine brands and extensions this year, above last year’s 25 –Wine launches come as Constellation’s total domestic wine business has lagged the overall market –Constellation hopes to court Millennial drinkers, who have driven wine category’s growth in recent years An evolving palate and high interest in wines [...]
• Molson Coors Agrees to Buy Brewer StarBev for $3.5 Billion
Molson Coors Brewing Co., the U.S. maker of Carling lager, agreed to buy StarBev LP for 2.65 billion euros ($3.54 billion) to add beer brands such as Staropramen and provide a route into central and eastern Europe. Committed financing is in place to complete the acquisition from private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners Ltd. and StarBev [...]
• Diageo edging towards Cuervo tequila deal
Diageo is edging towards a deal with the owner of Jose Cuervo tequila which could see the British spirits group take a minority stake in the $3 billion-plus valued No.1 tequila brand, people familiar with the situation said. Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh has said he wants control, or a route to control, of a [...]
• Beam India launches Scotch based ‘Teacher’s ready to drink’
Beam Inc., a leading global spirits company, has decided to launch Teacher’s ready to drink (RTD), a Scotch based beverage in a can to extend the Teacher’s brand among the youth brigade. The RTD will be available in two variants pre-mixed with two of the most common mixers – Teacher’s & Soda and Teacher’s & [...]
• California wine shipments rise to new record in 2011
U.S. the top wine market; total U.S. wine sales rise 5%; exports rise 21%. Sales of California wine within the U.S. in 2011 grew to a record 211.9 million cases, up 5.6 percent in volume compared to the previous year, according to preliminary figures released today by industry analysts. The estimated retail value of these [...]
• Beam considers price increases as economy recovers
Beam Inc (BEAM.N) has raised prices on some of its alcoholic drinks this year as the U.S. economy shows signs of improving and the company could have more price increases as opportunities arise, according to a top executive. If its alcoholic drinks this year as the U.S. economy shows signs of improving and the company [...]
• Gruppo Campari vigilant after sales lose sparkle
Italian drinks company Gruppo Campari (CPRI.MI) expects its key domestic market to show flat or declining sales this year, after the euro zone sovereign debt crisis depressed consumption in the fourth quarter of last year. The owner of the eponymous red aperitif, Skyy vodka and Glen Grant whisky told the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit [...]
• Diageo Bets on China’s Homegrown Baijiu
No matter where you are in the world, drinks conglomerate Diageo hopes that when you take your next celebratory shot, you’ll skip the tequila or scotch and order the baijiu instead. Diageo, which owns Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whiskey, thinks that its newest brand, Shui Jing Fang baijiu, can conquer the globe just like [...]
• Beer Companies Looking Beyond Beer for Growth
It appears the fastest way to growth for many beer companies is to look beyond beer. The latest example came Tuesday when Molson Coors Brewingannounced it is launching Coors Light Iced Tea in Canada next month, with a possible U.S rollout at a later date. The drink is being billed as “Coors Light with a [...]
• Southern Wine & Spirits Leases 26,000 sq. ft. in Spokane
Southern Wine & Spirits of Washington, an alcoholic beverage sales and distribution company, signed a new lease to occupy about 26,000 square feet in the industrial building located at 16005 E. Euclid Ave. in Spokane Valley, Washington. The 24-foot high industrial building totals about 28,000 square feet in the Valley submarket. The property was constructed [...]
