So, Interbrew has finally been told what to do by Patricia Hewitt. The DTI minister has graciously agreed to agree with the Office of Fair Trading, which said that Interbrew's purchase of Bass Brewers was a step too far. Interbrew has decided that it can live without the best-selling Carling brand it craved so much, but the ink had hardly dried on the minister's pronouncement before the brewing giant's PR machine whirred into motion to launch a thinly veiled attack on standard lagers such as, er, Carling. According to Interbrew, which is already doing very nicely thank you with its premium Stella Artois brand, retailers should brace themselves for an even greater selling frenzy in the premium market. In particular, claimed its press release, retailers "must gear up for it or lose out heavily". Interbrew has still to work out the final cost of its failed foray into the UK standard lager market, but it probably won't be cheap. Still, at least it will be able to recoup some of its losses through all the extra sales of Stella. {{COUNTERPOINT }}

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