just the Round-Up - The week in drinks

The top ten stories published on just-drinks last week:

• INDIA/UK: United Spirits' price tag "full, but fair" for Diageo - analyst

Diageo's offer for a 53.4% stake in United Spirits is “relatively full” compared to other spirits deals but will be “fair” if high Indian import duties are cut, according to an analyst.

• INDIA/UK: Gruppo Campari floated as buyer for Whyte & Mackay - analyst

Whyte & Mackay is likely to be sold off in the wake of Diageo's United Spirits deal, with Gruppo Campari a potential buyer of the Glasgow-based business, according to an analyst. 

• CHINA: PepsiCo opens US$40m Shanghai R&D hub

PepsiCo has unveiled a new US$40m research & development centre in Shanghai today (13 November), its largest outside of the US.

• UK/SPAIN: Pernod Ricard gives London push to Beefeater brand

Pernod Ricard has launched an international marketing campaign to further highlight its Beefeater gin brand's connection to London.

• VIETNAM: Carlsberg to boost stake in Habeco

Carlsberg has been given the green light to raise its stake in the government-controlled Hanoi Alcohol Beer and Beverage Corporation (Habeco) to 30%.

• AFRICA: Heineken "satisfied" with ownership mix - analyst

Heineken appears to be happy with its mix of business models in Africa and has little interest in entering the local beer segment, according to an analyst.

• EUROPE: European wine budget set to be cut, warns European Commission

Officials at the European Commission have told just-drinks that the European Union’s (EU) annual EUR1bn (US$1.27bn) wine sector subsidy budget is facing deep cuts.

• US: SPI Group to end Stolichnaya deal with William Grant & Sons

SPI Group is to drop William Grant & Sons as its US distributor for Stolichnaya and set up its own import company.

• UK: AG Barr, Britvic merger threatens site closures - analyst

Barr Britvic Soft Drinks may close some of Britvic's production plants as part of cost-saving moves in the wake of the AG Barr merger, an analyst has said.

• FRANCE: Beaujolais Nouveau sales down, but revenues set to resist

Sales volumes of the 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau are estimated to be down by around 13% on last year due to a small harvest, according to trade body Inter-Beaujolais.