What the Sunday papers said
The Sunday Times
A former British Olympic skier who co-starred in the epic film Lawrence of Arabia has now become one of the richest people in Britain with a family fortune of nearly £3bn. Michel de Carvalho's wife is heir to the Heineken brewing dynasty and inherited a £2.96bn controlling stake earlier this year.
In the annual Sunday Times Rich List, pub boss Tim Martin, founder of JD Wetherspoon, is listed with a personal fortune of £145m, while the McMullen family are placed at £150m because of the imminent £200m sale of its brewing and pub business.
Financier Guy Hands comes in at a conservative £140m - this is not taking into account performance bonuses received for the sales of the Inn Partnership, Unique and Voyager pub groups earlier this year, which pushed his wealth up to £200m.
Punch founder Hugh Osmond makes a Rich List debut with a personal wealth of £134m. Part of his fortune is derived from a £45m stake in Punch Pub Company and £50m in Spirit, the managed pub business.
The Neame family appears for the first time with an estimated wealth of £45m, Christopher Brain registers at £70m, and Belgo founder Luke Johnson figures at £40m.
Pubs and hamburgers tycoon Michael Cannon, the principle backer of Morrell's, is listed at £120m, while the Bulmer cider family is entered at £135m, down from £145m last year, following Bulmer's failed alcopop foray. Sam Whitbread features at £130m.
Trevor Hemmings, the leisure entrepreneur who owns Blackpool Tower and is the principal backer of the 520-strong Pub Estate Company, is placed at £518m.
Read more on the Sunday Times Rich List and the industry figures who appear in it on thePublican.com...
Away from Britain's 1,000 wealthiest people, South African Breweries is the share-tip of the week following its admission it was in talks to buy US brewer Miller, a £3.5bn deal that would make it the second biggest beer group in the world. The news pushed the SAB share-price up eight per cent. But investors should not expect a quick end game and some may want to take profits now. Read more on SAB's confirmed talks to buy Miller on thePublican.com...
The Observer
Interbrew, the Belgian brewer behind Stella Artois, is thought to have rejected the idea of a bid for South African Breweries (SAB). SAB is in talks to buy US brewer Miller. It was thought Interbrew might have made a pre-emptive strike for SAB, to prevent a tie-up with Miller.
Luxury hotelier The Savoy Group is considering building hotels from scratch for the first time since it opened the Savoy in London's Strand 113 years ago. Profits for the group are set to match the 2000 figure of £55m.
The Sunday Telegraph
Carlton and Granada are expected to announce provisions of up to £200m to meet the costs of funding their ITV Digital joint venture during its administration and restructuring, when they announce half-year results at the end of May. The decision to write-off their investments in the ailing pay-TV reveals that the partners give the operation little or no chance of surviving.
The Sunday Express
The share-tip column says investors could see value unlocked when Chorion, owner of the Tiger Tiger chain, demerges its bars and intellectual property business in May. Some see its IP operation as a bid target. Chorion's £40m debt facilities ought to be enough to fund growth and the shares look good vaue at 18.75p.
The Business
The Sunday pink paper says the SAB acquisition of Miller is imminent. Both sides appear to be happy with the price - $2bn in cash, the rest in paper and shares. SAB would cut the overall exposure of its business to the rand from 50 per cent to an estimated 25 per cent overnight.
The Mail on Sunday
Soft drinks and sweets giant Cadbury Schweppes paid sharply increased fees to stricken accountant Anderson last year - but most of the money had nothing to do with auditing. The basic audit cost £3m and consultancy work rose by £1m to £4m. It will fuel the 'conflict of interests' debate that has raged since the collapse of US energy giant Enron.
The Mail warns that with turmoil in the Middle East and esculating oil prices, the doom mongers who warn of a 1970s-style worldwide slump could be right.
The Independent on Sunday
No industry-related news
