What the Sunday papers said
The Reuben brothers, the billionaire private investors, are believed to have agreed an estimated £400 million deal to buy the Wellington Pub Company from Hugh Osmond. Simon and David Reuben are thought to have fought off competition from leisure entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings, and Robert Tchenguiz, the multimillionaire Iranian property tycoon - The Times (Saturday edition)
The management of Glenmorangie, put up for sale by its majority shareholder family owners, is believed to have already received outline offers and is working on finding a preferred bidder within a matter of weeks. Adviser NM Rothschild circulated a number of potential buyers soon after the Macdonald family first told the board it wished to sell its 52 per cent stake two months ago - The Sunday Times
Drinks giant Diageo may be selling more Guinness in Africa and Asia, but sales at home are flat and the weak US dollar is likely to weigh on Thursday's annual results, reflected in brokers' lacklustre expectations - The Business
Interbrew and electronics giant Philips have developed a device which could transform the beer market worldwide. The companies are near to launching an affordable system that delivers pub quality draught beer at home. A machine, to be sold by Philips, keeps six litres kegs of beer at a constant 3 degrees Celsius, and delivers it by pump on demand - The Business
Paul Neep, chief executive of Glenmorangie, says suggestions the management may try to buy the business out are unlikely in the face of interest from the global spirits players. He said: "There is huge potential in this business but these brands, they are real jewels, real works of art. Somebody is going to put a very high price on that" - The Sunday Telegraph
People who turn up at accident and emergency departments injured as a result of alcohol will be asked to undergo counselling in an attempt to reduce record rates of binge-drinking. The government is to roll out a series of initiatives this autumn that will see excessive drinkers being questioned about their boozing habits before being given a date for a counselling session - The Observer
A radical overhaul of the share structure at Robert Mondavi, the prestigious California wine business, is expected to kick-start a battle for control by some of the world's biggest drinks companies. The wine maker is planning to reduce the Mondavi family's voting control from 85 to just 40 per cent. Potential suitors are thought to include Diageo and Allied Domecq. Pernod Ricard and Constellation Brands may also be in the running - The Independent on Sunday
The war of words between Irish publicans and Diageo over the company's decision to increase drinks prices in June has escalated into a boycott of some of the brewer's brands, including distributed lagers Carlsberg and Budweiser. An estimated 250 of Dublin's 1,000 pubs are now refusing to serve certain Diageo products, according to industry insiders - The Sunday Times (Irish edition)
