Alcohol <span id="Alcohol"></span> – Page 265
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Interviews
Cider house rules: an interview with Magners' Gordon Johncox
Since its formation last August to look after C&C Group’s growing cider portfolio, Magners GB has been decidedly quiet. Until now. Boss Gordon Johncox tells Anna-Marie Julyan how Magners returned to growth and what Stella’s leap into cider means for the category
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NewsBudweiser brewer AB InBev powers on in 2010
Cost savings and drinkers in key markets shifting to higher-priced beers helped AB InBev to a strong performance over the past year.
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NewsStone’s launches ginger beer as tache row brews
Constellation is straying into Crabbie’s territory with the launch of an alcoholic ginger beer under the Stone’s Ginger Wine brand.
The Hardys owner, last month bought by Champ Private Equity and due to be renamed Accolade Wines from… -
NewsDiageo buys Turkish spirit maker Mey Icki
Diageo completed the £1.3bn acquisition of Turkish spirits maker Mey Icki from TPG Capital this week. The Smirnoff and Guinness owner is now expected to use the deal to accelerate growth of its spirits brands in Turkey. The deal also...
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Analysis & FeaturesAcid Test: Salto
The Brazilian tipple – a citrus-flavoured cachaça – aims to extend the appeal of cachaça drinks outside its caipirinha cocktail heartland.
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NewsRivals blitz wholesalers to stymie Stella Cidre
Major cider makers C&C Group and Heineken are targeting wholesalers with competitive deals on their brands ahead of the launch of AB InBev's Stella Cidre, The Grocer has learnt.
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NewsChase lands national Waitrose listing for its posh vodka lines
Chase Vodka has struck a new national listings deal with Waitrose that it reckons will help boost turnover from £1m to £15m by 2016. The upmarket distillery, which is owned by Tyrrells founder William Chase, revealed this week that its...
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NewsGlobal Brands offers Cheeky new VK taste
VK claims to have bottled the taste of student favourite Cheeky Vimto with its latest launch VK Cheeky. The 4% ABV mixed berry flavour drink (rsp: £1.19 per 275ml bottle) is available from March and has been launched by Global Brands to...
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NewsDiageo introduces a 10cl Smirnoff bottle
Diageo has brought out its smallest-yet bottle of Smirnoff to appeal to thrifty shoppers who only want the odd tipple. The 10cl bottle (rsp: £2.89), rolling into c-stores now, features the same design as the 70cl bottle, and follows...
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NewsStella Cidre could help cidermakers take off in the US
AB InBev’s Stella Artois Cidre has the potential to unlock cider sales stateside and “explode” growth for UK cidermakers, according to Magners’ owner C&C.
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NewsBig Race is here in next phase of Spots v Stripes
Cadbury has fired the starting gun for the next stage of its Spots v Stripes Olympic activity with the launch of a new chocolate bar, a link-up with Guinness World Records and a £6.5m marketing campaign. A limited-edition chocolate wafer...
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NewsFocus On Fairtrade: Sweeter times for Fairtrade
Fairtrade continues to buck recessionary trends, as shoppers with a heart opt for ethical alternatives – not least when they’re buying chocolate and wine. Vince Bamford reports
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Analysis & FeaturesStella launches a cider? How very ‘reassuring’, say rivals
Will AB InBev reverse slowing category sales or is it taking too much of a risk venturing out of its heartland, ask Anna-Marie Julyan and Alex Beckett
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NewsWKD Purple limited edition
Beverage Brands is releasing its first limited WKD edition, backed by a £3m campaign. WKD Purple, available from next month, has the same 4% abv as its Blue, Red and Iron Brew (permanent) stablemates. The edition, available for...
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NewsJim Beam turns to sport in new marketing focus
Jim Beam plans to steer its marketing away from rock 'n' roll themes and onto sports to boost its profile as the challenger brand to Jack Daniel's. Annual sales of Bacardi Brown-Forman's Jack Daniel's are 15 times bigger than Jim Beam in...
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NewsHeineken is official lager of London Olympics
Heineken has been unveiled as the official lager of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The deal hands Heineken UK exclusive rights to serve its beer and cider brands at all venues for the sporting jamboree, as well as sponsorship rights for Team GB.
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News
Playboy energy drink gets Makro debut
The new Playboy energy drink has secured a nationwide listing with wholesaler Makro. The drink, which sports the famous Playboy rabbit head logo, last year signed up model and actress Kelly Brook as the face of its UK launch.
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NewsStella launches cider brand extension
Stella Artois is set for a dramatic move into cider, The Grocer can reveal – the first time a leading lager brand has crossed the category divide. Stella Cidre, a 4.5% abv premium cider, will be brewed exclusively for the UK market in Belgium.
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Comment & Opinion
Doom and boom
Spring may not yet be in the air but two of the drinks trade’s heavyweight players today kicked off seasonal offensives. Months of suitably wintry doom and gloom surrounding beer prices and the challenges faced by Britain’s biggest beer brands were punctuated first by The Grocer’s world exclusive that Stella ...
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NewsConstellation name change to Accolade signals upmarket move
The European business of Constellation has been renamed Accolade Wines following the completion of its sale to Champ Private Equity. The business, which also includes the Australian arm of Constellation Brands, said its new name indicated “an intention to pursue high standards in everything it does”.