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The speed at which Anheuser-Busch InBev facilitated Asahi’s acquisition of the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime beer brands showed its determination to complete its takeover of SABMiller, according to a UK analyst. “They believe they will soon get the necessary regulatory approvals particularly in US, Europe and China,” commented John Colley, a Professor of Practice at Warwick Business School. However, the deal’s progress in other markets comes as Australia’s competition watchdog ...

For the first time in years, liquor has not put the brakes on Coles Food & Liquor’s quarterly headline sales performance, a result Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder said was “pleasing”. Coles’ comparable food and liquor store sales increased 4.9 per cent for the third quarter ending March. With liquor stripped out, the retailer’s underlying food store sales grew at exactly the same rate. “It’s the first time in a while ...

The industry tends to get the wrong idea about Woolworths’ exclusive brands business, Pinnacle Drinks, because the division hasn’t widely communicated its reason for being, according to its General Manager Chris Baddock. Baddock told drinks trade magazine that Pinnacle is effectively a supplier embedded in the Woolworths Liquor business and that there are two reasons for its existence. “One of the reasons is entry-level brands. Every retailer has them and ...

The abuse of the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) rebate by bulk wine traders must be addressed by the Federal Government, according to Australian Vintage CEO Neil McGuigan. The eligibility of New Zealand wine producers has attracted much of the air time in discussions over the WET rebate, but McGuigan told drinks bulletin this is something of an “emotional” issue, in terms of what it actually costs the Federal Government. Having recently ...

Moet Hennessy has announced its direct-to-consumer website, Moet Hennessy Collection, will close on April 28. The website was highly controversial when it launched two years ago. Many retailers argued that it was in direct competition with their businesses and several threatened to delist Moet Hennessy products from their stores. But the introduction of a new digital strategy for Moet Hennessy based on “collaboration with its trade partners” was unrelated to the ...

A group of five backers led by Chris Condon, former Boag’s brewer and Chief Distiller at Tasmania’s Nant Distillery, have progressed their plan to open Launceston Distillery in a heritage-listed aircraft hangar at Launceston Airport. On March 11, Condon applied to Tasmania’s liquor regulator for permission to sell spirits produced at the distillery located in Hangar 17, after production began late last year. “Our casks are predominantly American oak (ex ...

New industry body Alcohol Beverages Australia (ABA) has a lot of work ahead of it to build trust between its different stakeholder members, acknowledges Lion Beer Wine & Spirits Managing Director James Brindley. Lion is one of seven companies to directly join ABA, the new body that supersedes the National Alcohol Beverages Industry Council (NABIC). “It’s a first of a kind alliance, it’s full breadth of industry so it’s got ...

Interest in Irish whiskey has exploded in Australia over the last 12 to 18 months, according to Teeling Irish Whiskey founder Stephen Teeling. Teeling was speaking to drinks bulletin in the lead-up to St Patrick’s Day 2016, with the company having recently launched ‘The Revival’ – a limited edition 15 Year Old Single Malt – to commemorate the opening of its new distillery in Dublin. He said it had been a “gamble” for ...

Moet-Hennessy has identified Australia as a ‘focus market’ for Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, according to Dr. Bill Lumsden, the brand’s Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation. Lumsden told drinks bulletin that it is significant that he has now visited Australia two years in a row, an honour unofficially reserved for markets where Glenmorangie exceeds 10,000 cases a year. The brand is outgrowing the single malt category in Australia where ...

Retailers can restore the profitability of the cider category by differentiating ‘craft’ ciders made from real Australian apples from the others, according to Cider Australia President Sam Reid. Reid told drinks bulletin that margins in cider had been eroded over the last two years since the big brewers adopted a “mainstream beer mentality”, with tough price competition between the leading brands on larger packaged formats. In a presentation to retailers, Cider Australia argues ...