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News
10 stories that got the drinks trade talking in 2015
10. Greene King selling out across China
President Xi Jinping and prime minister David Cameron leaving The Plough in Oxfordshire, where they had Greene King IPA (Photo: Twitter)
Demand for British beer brand Greene King began soaring across China following president Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK in October, where he was pictured enjoying a pint of its IPA with the British prime minister David Cameron.
Talk about the power of celebrity endorsement!
9. Yealand sells majority stake in his wine brand
Yealands’ principal winery in Marlborough, New Zealand (Photo: Yealands)
In a surprising turn, July saw New Zealand wine producer Peter Yealand sell his majority stake in his own namesake company Yealands Family Estate to an electricity company.
Peter Yealands told local press that the company had been looking far and wide for a large investor for months, but found one “right on our doorstep”, and that he “couldn’t think of anything better”.
“In looking for an investor we wanted someone who shared our beliefs and who would help us to continue to build the business, both in expanding our fruit supply and in developing our international marketing programme,” he said.
8. Meantime is bought, then put up for sale…
Meantime Brewery, which was only purchased by SABMiller in May, is being put up for sale (Photo: Meantime)
Its been a turbulent time for London craft beer producer Meantime Brewery this year. In May it was announced that the brewery, which prides itself on its craft credentials, was being bought by global beer conglomerate SABMiller for an undisclosed sum.
There was nothing particularly odd about that, seeing as several small brewers are now being incorporated into big producers who are looking to tap into the market share being snapped up by craft.
However, in November, the industry-shaking news that SABMiller was being taken over by rival brewer AB InBev was followed by the announcement that Meantime’s new owners now want to rid themselves of the brand to appease market competition authorities.
Meantime is now left in the lurch as SAB/AB search for a buyer, just months after the brand jumped aboard the big brewer bandwagon.
Click the above links to read more…
7. Diageo offloads its wine interests
Blossom Hill was one of the largest wine brands involved in the sell-off (Photo: Blossom Hill)
The speed with which Diageo has shed itself of its wine brands in the last few months of 2015 took everyone by surprise, as did the fact that it was Treasury Wine Estates, who just a year or so ago was in the doldrums financially, would be the biggest buyer.
Major brands like Blossom Hill are now part of the Treasury portfolio, and Diageo has all but completely divested its wine arm in an effort to focus on its “core spirits and beer brands”.
Click the above links to read more…
6. Paul Walsh rumoured to bid for Peroni and Grolsch
Ex-Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh left Diageo in 2013 (Photo: Diageo)
Sticking with Diageo-related news, recent speculation has pointed to former Diageo CEO Paul Walsh being a player in the aforementioned brand sell-off involved with the SABMiller takeover by AB InBev.
Along with Meantime, global brands Peroni and Grolsch are also being put up for sale to pre-empt fears of market monopolisation connected with the merger. And it is Walsh who is one of the figures rumoured to be interested in buying the two iconic brands?
The most recent news of Walsh’s actions since leaving Diageo in 2013 was his mysterious appointment then un-appointment by the board of Formula 1 motor racing.
5. Obama serves screwcap wine at state dinner
President Xi Jinping has certainly made his mark on the drinks trade this year, with this being the second story in our round-up to feature the Chinese premier.
At a state dinner in the US in September, a screwcap 2014 Penner-Ash Viognier was on the menu at the White House to honour Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
While nearly everyone in the drinks trade is convinced of the merits of these closures, the idea of a screwcapped wine making it to the echelons of an international state dinner might still be surprising.
4. Reh Kendermann buys into Yapp Brothers
That a large German branded wine producer would buy a stake in an English Rhône specialist based in the West Country was something that no one would have predicted last year, but that’s exactly what happened in October when Black Tower producer Reh Kendermann invested in Yapp Brothers.
Explaining the motivation for the investment, Alexander Rittlinger, managing director of Reh Kendermann said, “As an exporter, Great Britain is strategically a very important market for us.”
“In addition to the off-trade, we will now also be increasingly represented in the on-trade, specialist retailers and the dot.com business thanks to this partnership.”
3. Berry Bros. & Rudd appoints Dan Jago
Dan Jago
This time last year, Dan Jago was the embattled head of Tesco’s Beer Wine and Spirits division who had been left out in the cold following the retailer’s multi-million profit “miscalculation”.
So it was a surprise to see that in a short space of time he was appointed to the top job at one of the UK’s best-known drinks companies, becoming CEO of Berry Bros. & Rudd. Quite the turnaround!
2. Majestic buys Naked Wines
Naked Wines founder and Majestic CEO Rowan Gormley
In a move that is proving as graceful as the company’s name suggests, Majestic Wines’ takeover of online retailer Naked Wines is proving a successful one.
Read the story revealing the £70 million takeover here
1. Taittinger to set up vineyards in UK
Damien Le Sueur, Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick McGrath (Photo: Thomas Alexander)
And finally, the most recent story of the year also happens to have had (arguably) the biggest impact on the UK wine trade at least.
The notion that Champagne houses might be sniffing around for English plots was not a new one, but it still didn’t take away from the surprise announcement that Champagne Taittinger had purchased land in Kent that will eventually be used to produce English sparkling wine.
“We have dreamt for a number of years of working with our dear friends in the UK to create a special Franco/British project,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, president of the Champagne house. “We are very excited that this dream is now becoming a reality.”