Conviviality - Boy, that escalated quickly - Comment 29 Mar 2018

Olly Wehring

The remarkable speed of Conviviality's tumble from grace has surprised even the most seasoned drinks industry executive here in the UK. How could a company go from posting an 85% leap in full-year sales in May last year, to announcing the pending appointment of administrators in late-March. That's less than a year.

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What can the spirits and wine industries learn from Moet Hennessy? - Comment 26 Mar 2018

Richard Woodard

Following on from just-drinks' analysis of Moët Hennessy's performance over the last five years, spirits commentator Richard Woodard considers the takeaways for the wider spirits and wine industries.

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What can the beer industry learn from Carlsberg? - Comment 22 Mar 2018

Stephen Beaumont

If the principle lesson learned from just-drinks' analysis of Heineken's performance in the last five years is "don't panic", the overarching theme of Carlsberg's last half-decade of struggles might be the even more clichéd "don't put all your eggs in one basket". Said basket being, in this case, Russia.

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How sustainability could change the authenticity message for big beer - Comment 21 Mar 2018

Lucy Britner

Heritage, provenance and authenticity have become industry buzzwords: Marketing experts have us believe that they are the attributes consumers desire - and the attributes a brand should fudge at its peril. 

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What's the best way to market spirits brands to female consumers? - Comment 20 Mar 2018

Neil Ridley

Is gender becoming an all-consuming issue in whisky? just-drinks' brown spirits commentator, Neil Ridley, certainly hopes not.

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What does the future of out-of-home advertising look like? - Comment 20 Mar 2018

Andy Morton

On a recent night in London, behind King's Cross railway station, an ordinary-looking van has an extraordinary-looking pole sticking out of its roof. The 20-metre mobile mast is, say its creators, the future of outdoor billboard advertising; a new, disruptive technology in a field that - LED video screens notwithstanding - hasn't strayed too far beyond basic precepts of paper plastered to wood. Known as the Echo, the mast was created by Lightvert, a UK start-up that wants to take advertising to places it hasn't been before.

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How soft drinks can milk (or not) the vegan trend - Comment 15 Mar 2018

Richard Corbett

just-drinks' soft drinks commentator, Richard Corbett, returns this month with some advice on how companies can capitalise on the growing popularity of veganism among consumers.

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Where should we look for wine's future gains? - Comment 13 Mar 2018

Richard Siddle

Our regular wine commentator, Chris Losh, is trapped under something heavy this month. Stepping into the void, however, is Richard Siddle, equally well-versed in all things wine. And, Richard has a thing or two to warn the traditional wine trade about.

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Does The Coca-Cola Co's alcohol move signal a new direction? - Comment 7 Mar 2018

Andy Morton

Spirits are obviously high at The Coca-Cola Co. As well as delivering a well-received full-year performance last month, the soft drinks maker is preparing to enter the alcohol category for what appears to be the first time in its 125-year history.

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What can the beer industry learn from Heineken? - Comment 6 Mar 2018

Stephen Beaumont

Heineken has released its 2017 results and, despite the generally-depressed state of the global beer market today, the group reported some very positive trends. It therefore merits consideration with an eye towards what others in the brewing business and, indeed, the drinks industry, in general, can learn from the world's number two brewer.

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When spirits companies cut their marketing budgets, why not increase yours? - Comment 27 Feb 2018

Richard Woodard

Spirits commentator Richard Woodard will have been relieved to see the back of The Winter Olympics last weekend. He now has the time to ponder companies' marketing spends... and to run his rule over Pernod Ricard's latest - somewhat risqué - activation for Absolut.

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For which awards should you put your spirits brand forward? - Comment 22 Feb 2018

Neil Ridley

This month, spirits commentator Neil Ridley ponders whether there are too many spirits category awards these days, and what it actually means to win one.

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Keurig Dr Pepper - A bit good. A bit bad - Comment 20 Feb 2018

Richard Corbett

Late last month, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain agreed a merger - in effect an acquisition of the former by the latter - to create Keurig Dr Pepper. Our regular soft drinks commentator, Richard Corbett casts his expert eye over the development.

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Where does the wine trade fit in the great recycling debate? - Comment 15 Feb 2018

Chris Losh

Soft drinks firms have long been under scrutiny when it comes to single-use plastic bottles. As the debate widens out to encompass more industries and all forms of sustainability, Chris Losh looks at what it means for the wine trade. 

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This week's financial market 'corrections' - Should you worry? - Comment 6 Feb 2018

David Leggett

The last 24 hours have seen a wave of sell-offs on global stock markets. Is there cause for concern? Yes, but there is also a need for some perspective and there is no reason to believe that a global economic recession is imminent or inevitable.

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Why Minimum Unit Pricing could prove a win for both consumers and the drinks industry - Analysis 31 Jan 2018

Laura Foster

Towards the end of last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) could proceed in Scotland. The decision has prompted many questions: Is this the right approach to tackle the issue of irresponsible drinking? Are moderate drinkers being punished for the actions of a few? Indeed, is the Scottish Government using a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Laura Foster investigates.

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What's coming up in spirits in 2018? - Predictions for the Year Ahead - Comment 30 Jan 2018

Richard Woodard

Rounding off our series of category forecasts for the year ahead, white spirits commentator Richard Woodard looks at what 2018 has in store for gin, Tequila, rum, vodka ...

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The guardians of globalisation prepare to welcome Trump - Comment 26 Jan 2018

Ben Cooper

At a press conference last week to launch the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2018, the organisation’s assembled panel of experts was asked whether the ideas of "a group of millionaires" on reforming capitalism would carry much weight with ordinary people. The question alluded to the launch at the WEF annual general meeting this week in Davos of a two-year global dialogue aimed at exploring how market capitalism can be reformed to allow more people to benefit from economic growth. 

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What's coming up in beer in 2018? - Predictions for the Year Ahead - Comment 23 Jan 2018

Stephen Beaumont

Our 2018 category previews continue. Here, beer industry commentator Stephen Beaumont shares his predictions on how the brewing world will weather the year ahead.

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What's coming up in spirits in 2018? - Predictions for the Year Ahead - Comment 18 Jan 2018

Neil Ridley

This month, we've charged our category commentators with predicting the year ahead for their respective sectors. Here, Neil Ridley tells us how he sees 2018 panning out for the global brown spirits category.