England’s largest winemaker Chapel Down is considering a sale of the business as part of a strategic review to explore funding options for its ambitious growth plans (Financial Times £). Britain’s biggest wine producer, Chapel Down, is considering raising cash and even putting itself up for sale to fund more vineyards and build a new winery in a booming industry transformed by rising temperatures and tax breaks (The Guardian). Britain’s biggest sparkling wine producer Chapel Down could put itself up for sale just over six months since listing its shares on London’s AIM market (Daily Mail).

The sale of Chapel Down Group is expected to attract interest from international winemakers as well as financial players (The Times £).

Why sell now, asks the FT? “Maybe because foreign winemakers have noted Britain’s potential… Chapel Down has big plans to increase its 1,023 acres, but the competition means that vineyard land isn’t going cheap. That suggests Chapel Down needs some bigger backers. Weather and harvests can fluctuate. Its plans will require investors with deeper pockets to step up to the bar.” (Financial Times £)

Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket, Wm Morrison, has reported a slowdown in sales growth amid stiff competition from rivals (The Times £).

Morrisons is opening more convenience stores as its price war with Aldi and Lidl shows signs of paying off. (Daily Mail)

Morrisons has stripped a further £78m in costs from the business as bosses at the supermarket chain battle to pay down debts. (Telegraph £)

Writing on the Britvic/Carlsberg bid saga in The Times, Alistair Osborne says “Britvic’s board is not a soft touch for suitor Carlsberg”. “It’ll probably take at least £13 a share — a prospective earnings multiple of 19 times — to get the Britvic board to Tango. And even that may not be enough. Fruit Shoot-outs can be costly affairs.” (The Times £)

Aldi faces the threat of fines of up to £600m in Australia as the country’s government mounts a clampdown on supermarkets. (Telegraph £)

The world is headed for “food wars” as geopolitical tensions and climate change push countries into conflict over waning supplies, said one of the world’s largest agricultural commodity traders. (Financial Times £)

Tortilla Mexican Grill has consolidated its position in the European fast-casual Mexican restaurant market with the acquisition of its largest competitor. (Daily Mail)

Dominic Chappell must pay at least £50mn to cover losses racked up by BHS before the department store’s collapse, after a judge found that its former head sought to “plunder” the UK retailer. (Financial Times £)

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