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just-drinks.com editor's weekly highlights | |
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It seems I have InBev to thank for a wasted sleepless night. The 'silence of summer' appears to be well and truly upon us, with last week proving rather quiet on the news front. My weariness today, then, comes from worrying last night about what to highlight in today's weekly newsletter. And then, up swaggers InBev this morning, with its threat to push for the removal of Anheuser-Busch's board. Last week, the Belgium-based brewer countered A-B's rejection of its takeover proposal by issuing a statement that pretty much just said: “Oh, go on!” In a letter to employees, A-B's CEO, August Busch IV, reiterated the rejection and elaborated on the company's cost-saving plans going forward. “The board deliberated through several meetings over several weeks and determined that the proposal was inadequate and not in the best interest of our shareholders”, Busch explained, adding that Inbev's overtures would not change the relationship between the two brewers. “We have an agreement to perform for their brands in the US, and they have the same obligation to perform for Budweiser in Canada and South Korea,” he said. I'm sure I'm not alone in believing that this relationship may be stretched by InBev's latest move. In many ways, this reminds me very much of the Carlsberg and Heineken's battle to buy Scottish & Newcastle. While InBev and A-B may steer clear of the colourful language used during the hunt for S&N, I still see an improved offer from InBev as being the key to unlocking A-B's firmly shut door. Features-wise last week, meanwhile, click here to read our thoughts on the untapped potential for Fairtrade wine, and here for an overview on the Irish whiskey market from our Global market review of world whiskies. Until next time... Olly Wehring, Managing Editor Web: www.just-drinks.com
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Taking Fairtrade wine to the next level [MEM] Fairtrade wine may have some way to go to catch up with flagship Fairtrade categories like coffee, tea and bananas, but it is showing growth across a number of markets, and strategists believe that as the sector scales up reservations raised by some wine critics over the quality of the wines will diminish. Ben Cooper reports.
Hard discounter strategies and major players in the UK In 2000, retail market researchers at Verdict called them ‘Continental discounters’, while they are known in the UK as the discount grocers. Whatever their nickname, the likes of Aldi, Lidl and Netto are all renowned for their low prices, which has generated plenty of support around the world. Hard discounters in the UK have had it tougher than in their country of origin – Germany – and many other parts of Europe where the format was quickly received and accepted into the mass grocery retail (MGR) sector. This month's briefing takes a look at the major players and reviews the latest sales data and expansion plans from Aldi, Lidl and Netto. The briefing highlights best-practice strategies that these players are taking in order to increase market share. Adopting strategies such as private-label NPD, building on economic concerns and becoming more fashionable will ensure the discounters are here to stay for now.
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July 7, 2008 
