K-bar chiefs to stand down
28-Feb-2000
Bar operator K-bar is preparing for a new future after the departure of key figures in a major management shake-up.Chief executive Piers Adam, who...
Bass gives Hooch new adult flavour
21-Feb-2000
Bass has unveiled a new look and a new flavour for Hooch in a bid to move away from the brand's alcopop heritage.The range of flavoured alcoholic...
Britvic plans to put fizz back in market
15-Feb-2000
Britvic aims to produce a range of soft drinks specially tailored to the on-trade by the end of this year.The range will have its own packaging and...
Charles Wells shows its true international class
14-Feb-2000
With an international chain of pubs, licences for Japanese, Jamaican and Mexican lagers, and stakes in top music venues, Charles Wells is a family...
Bass trials drink with spritz apeal
12-Feb-2000
Bass is trialing a new white wine spritzer drink in 120 of its city centre managed houses.Twisted Vine has an ABV of five per cent and is a blend of...
Britvic to make the Right Choice
07-Feb-2000
Britvic's Profit Zone 2000 scheme has moved forward to meet changes in consumer trends and needs."Right Choice" is the new initiative focusing on...
Mansfield to build on its 'laddish' ad image
01-Feb-2000
Mansfield is set to build on the success of its "Man's World, Man's Pint, Mansfield" campaign with a new burst of TV ads.The commercials, which first...
Plymouth hot on heels of its rivals
01-Feb-2000
Plymouth Gin's sales increased by 350 per cent in 1998 and it is currently the fastest growing gin brand in the UK.It was bought from Allied Domecq...
Palmers - one of the UK's most traditional brewers?
31-Jan-2000
Bridport-based Palmers lays claim to being one of the UK's most traditional brewers.While the big regional brewers grab the headlines with their...
Brew deal bid to grow Oranjeboom
13-Dec-1999
Interbrew is seeking partnerships with regional brewers to grow Dutch brand Oranjeboom as a major national lager.Oranjeboom Pilsner is already brewed...
S&N in talks to sell 700 tied pubs to focus on managed brands
13-Dec-1999
Scottish & Newcastle is in talks to sell more than 700 of its tied pubs as it continues to focus on managed brands.The news follows intense...
Bacardi in deal to sponsor free travel over Millennium
13-Dec-1999
Millennium revellers and barstaff are to get a free ride home — thanks to a joint initiative between Bacardi Breezer and London Transport.The brand...
Bacardi goes for a more macho image
06-Dec-1999
If you're looking for gorgeous, bikini-clad women walking along endless sandy beaches, don't watch the latest advertisement for Bacardi.In fact,...
Merrydown on the up after restructure
06-Dec-1999
Drinks group Merrydown is poised for acquisitions and new product launches after completing a shake-up of the business.Chief executive Nigel Freer...
Beef-on-bone back on menu
06-Dec-1999
A council is to press ahead with its prosecution of licensee Alan Coomber despite the lifting of the beef-on-the-bone ban. The ban was lifted by...
C-T shake-up sees profit success
06-Dec-1999
Carlsberg-Tetley (C-T) has reported better-than-expected profits after focusing on key brands and cutting costs.The Northampton brewer's operating...
Name change fear for Budweiser as controversial law is proposed
29-Nov-1999
US lager Budweiser could be forced to change its name if controversial new proposals become law.The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been asked to...
Cup win for sponsors
22-Nov-1999
The Australians are no doubt still celebrating, while the other teams in the Rugby World Cup ask: "Where did it go wrong?" Sponsors from the drinks...
Trade fury at soft drink pricing rap
22-Nov-1999
Trade leaders have reacted angrily to remarks made by the government's consumer affairs minister linking soft drinks prices to drink-driving.Minister...
JW Lees - breaking with tradition
15-Nov-1999
Tucked away 50,000 feet up in the French Alps, close to the snowy ski slopes of Mont Blanc, are two real ale pubs, the White Grouse and the Perdrix...
Wine boom threat to beer
15-Nov-1999
Beer is being threatened by a boom in wine drinking, both at home and in pubs.A government report suggests that home consumption of beer fell by 17...
Quality above quantity for White Rose Inns
08-Nov-1999
By the front door of 43 pubs across Yorkshire is a small sign saying: "A warm welcome from White Rose Inns".It's the only sign of badging in the pub...
Guy Hands - banking on change
25-Oct-1999
The Beer Orders gave Guy Hands his big chance — and he says it is now time for another sort of shake-up.As a father of four, Guy Hands is a big fan...
The meteoric rise of Punch
27-Sep-1999
Since entering the pub trade in 1997 Punch has had a meteoric rise.When Ken Oginsky starts talking about what "we" have achieved, you may be forgiven...
Proposed takeover of Highland Distillers would create giant drinks company
20-Sep-1999
Consolidation continues to hit the drinks industry with plans to create a powerful new group out of the proposed takeover of Highland Distillers.The...
Regents Inns forges ahead with Walkabout
06-Sep-1999
Regent Inns is pushing its Australasian bars when other companies are holding back.Another crocodile stares down from above the bar as Regent Inns...
Fuller's thrives almost two hundred on
23-Aug-1999
As Fuller's prepares to enter a third century, the brewer continues to thrive. Mark Ludmon reports."The brewery business is going flourishingly but...
Beer's new glass has flower power
09-Aug-1999
A new branded Guinness glass is to be made available throughout the on-trade later this month.The new glass is of the tulip shape currently used in...
Old Monk Company - changing habits
26-Jul-1999
Despite ups and down in the markets, the Old Monk Company reported record results this month. Mark Ludmon talked to boss Gerry Martin.When Gerry...
Miller shows its grit in beer war
26-Jul-1999
The two biggest US beer brands are squaring up against each other with summer advertising blitzes.After Anheuser-Busch unveiled its new "Lizards"...
HP Bulmer - not just a cidermaker
12-Jul-1999
One thing needs to be made clear. HP Bulmer is no longer just a cidermaker — it is a supplier of "long alcoholic drinks".The small firm set up in a...
Beck's is back in £12m promotion
14-Jun-1999
A £12million advertising push by Scottish Courage (ScotCo) sees premium lager brand Beck's returning to the UK's television screens this week.The...
W&DB prepare to take on the nationals
07-Jun-1999
Mark Ludmon looks at how Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries has spent the two months since taking over Marstons - and what it has planned for the...
Tup Inns looks at Tom Hoskins deal
07-Jun-1999
Bar chain Tup Inns is considering expansion out of its London homeland through a merger or takeover — and Leicestershire brewer Tom Hoskins has...
Merrydown slashes non-core brands
07-Jun-1999
Sales of Merrydown cider are preparing for take-off in the on-trade after the company jumped back into the black.It has slashed more than 160...
First Drinks Brands - Quenching your First
31-May-1999
First Drinks Brands is proud of the youthfulness and dynamism of its company culture. It distributes some of the most stylish spirits to some of the...
How Tradeteam puts technology to work
17-May-1999
Once upon a time horses trotted along the road from pub to pub, pulling a dray loaded with barrels. Now the horses have been put out to graze and...
Grouse to get makeover
10-May-1999
Highland Distillers has unveiled a new identity for The Famous Grouse in a bid to make the brand more approachable.The new bottle and labelling are...
Gordon's on cue for £12.5m Perfect push
03-May-1999
In the 1980s Canadian snooker player Bill Werbeniuk downed lager as a way of steadying his cueing arm. Now Gordon's is marketing itself as the drink...
Campari boosted by £1.1m TV push
19-Apr-1999
First Drinks Brands is set to kick off a major marketing push for Campari. The £1.1million television advertising burst is intended to emphasise...
New pubco Pennant Inns aims to bring stability to its outlets
19-Apr-1999
Some pub tenants have seen their landlords change with the seasons. Grand Metropolitan, Inntrepreneur, Morgan Grenfell, Nomura Bank and Phoenix Inns...
Easter TV adverts for Baileys
12-Apr-1999
Baileys appeared on TV during the Easter period in the first ever TV advertising for the brand outside of the normal pre-Christmas promotional...
UK is facing charge of the light brigade
05-Apr-1999
First it was Bud Light, now Coors Light is set for trials in the UK. But while Anheuser-Busch chose Manchester for its dummy run, Coors is focusing...
Power-packed launch
05-Apr-1999
SmithKline Beecham (SKB) has launched Solstis, an energy drink, under the Lucozade brand name. According to SKB, over the last five years the...
First Drinks takes on Grant's whisky
22-Mar-1999
Grant's, the UK's fourth biggest on-trade blended whisky, has moved from Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine to First Drinks Brands (FDB). FDB already...
Things are looking up for Merrydown
22-Mar-1999
After a year in charge Nigel Freer is confident about the future for Merrydown. Merrydown's past few years have been turbulent, to say the...
Diageo rumoured to be selling-off Cinzano to concentrate on key products
22-Mar-1999
Diageo is believed to be planning a disposal of its Cinzano spirit brand as part of its move to focus on key products.It is trying to reverse a...
Rugby the winner as trade joins the pack
08-Mar-1999
Rugby and alcohol have long been bedfellows, but more drinks companies than ever are putting money into the sport. Lagers including Budweiser,...
Foster's to go Down Under for millennium
01-Mar-1999
Foster's has announced details of this year's big promotion which will see more than 300 drinkers spend two weeks in Australia. The holidays will...
Greenalls may be set for a shift in investment focus
01-Mar-1999
With news of yet another new face among the directors at Greenalls Pubs & Restaurants, it's clear that new broom Mark McQuater is planning some...