Here, just-drinks consolidates the M&A activity in the global drinks industry during February, a quiet month that saw Constellation Brands dive deeper into hard seltzer, Anheuser-Busch InBev make a wine play in Argentina and Campari Group close its planned distribution acquisition in France.
Alcohol
Constellation Brands has followed its recent forecast of booming sales for hard seltzers in the US with the purchase of a holding in Press Premium Alcohol Seltzer in the country.
Heritage and heft won’t win hard seltzer’s summer showdown – comment
Earlier this month, Molson Coors Beverage Co management showed remarkable verbal dexterity when dodging questions on whether the US market will see a Coors or Miller seltzer. Today we discovered the reason for the evasion – they were sitting on the upcoming launch of Coors Seltzer in July.
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By GlobalData
Soft Drinks
The Alkaline Water Co has confirmed the cancellation of the proposed merger with AQUAhydrate, a celebrity-backed bottled water brand.
CBD beverage manufacturer Kona Gold Solutions has agreed to buy Florida-based energy drinks producer Flo Beverages. Kona Gold, which makes CBD bottled water and hemp-based energy drinks, expects to close on the deal within 30 days.
Danone is to acquire a majority stake in family-owned UK company Harrogate Water, owner of the Harrogate Spring Water brand. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum and subject to regulatory approval, leaves previous owners the Cain family as minority shareholders, with Harrogate Water CEO James Cain set to continue to lead the business and to join the management team of Danone Waters UK.
Why premium RTD tea could be a soft drinks winner in 2020 – comment
Our soft drinks commentator, Lucy Britner, considers the wealth of opportunities available to the RTD tea segment. There’s plenty to go at.
Wine
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Argentinian unit, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, has agreed to buy Dante Robino Winery in Mendoza for an undisclosed fee. A spokesperson for Ambev, the Brazilian unit of A-B InBev, said the purchase of the Lujan de Coyo-based business forms part of its plans to “better understand and study the wine segment”
Will Australia’s bushfires bring on wine industry burn-out? – comment
This year started with Australia dominating the news headlines. Chris Losh considers what the country’s bushfire crisis has done – and will continue to do – to Australia’s wine producers.
Distribution
Amber Beverage Group has added to its UK footprint with a stake purchase in spirits distributor Indie Brands. The transaction sees Amber take an unspecified majority holding in the distribution company.
Campari Group has completed its acquisition of French wine company Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s distribution operations. The EUR60m (US$66.7m) deal, first announced in November, sees Campari take full control of its distribution in France.
How weaving sustainability into your business model will generate value – Sustainability Spotlight
Ben Cooper examines recent announcements from soft drinks producers Coca-Cola European Partners and Britvic that underline how sustainability goals no longer simply inspire companies or earn them green credentials, but have become critical to value creation and business strategy.
