Here, just-drinks consolidates the M&A activity in the global drinks industry during March.
Beer
Heineken silent on US$1bn China sale report
Heineken declined to comment at the start of the month on a report it is in talks to sell its China business to China Resources Snow Breweries, the owner of the Snow beer brand.
Go deeper with GlobalData
What can the beer industry learn from Heineken? – Comment
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.
Spirits
Australian Whisky Holdings set to buy remaining Lark Distillery shares
Australian Whisky Holdings announced its intention to purchase the rest of Tasmania’s Lark Distillery.
Diageo makes good on Distill Ventures investment with Belsazar vermouth buy
Diageo bought Berlin vermouth-maker Belsazar in the spirits giant’s first acquisition from its Distill Ventures incubator programme.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataVermouth – The next big thing? – Consumer Trends
Among the talk at the on-premise Tales of the Cocktail conference in the UK in April, the consensus appeared to be that vermouth is once again gaining momentum. Indeed, the segment has been tipped by many industry observers as one to watch in the coming years.
Wine
Anheuser-Busch InBev makes wine move with Swish stake buy
Anheuser-Busch InBev made its second incursion into the wine category, through the acquisition of a stake in US-based Swish Beverages.
Henkell & Co set to acquire Freixenet control – just-drinks EXCLUSIVE
Henkell & Co was poised to announce its purchase of majority control of Spanish Cava producer Freixenet in mid-March, just-drinks learned, almost two years after rumours of an acquisition first surfaced.
Henkell & Co details Freixenet stake purchase
Henkell & Co then confirmed its acquisition of a majority stake in Cava giant Freixenet a few days later, creating the world’s largest sparkling wine business.
Where should we look for wine’s future gains? – Comment
Our regular wine commentator, Chris Losh, was trapped under something heavy in March. Stepping into the void, however, was Richard Siddle, equally well-versed in all things wine. And, Richard had a thing or two to warn the traditional wine trade about.
On-premise
BrewDog to buy Draft House pub estate in UK
Scottish brewer BrewDog agreed towards the end of the month to buy a small chain of UK pubs, adding to its on-premise reach in the country.
