Diageo has blamed “weakness in emerging market economies” for its 0.4% net sales growth in the 2013/2014 financial year.

Diageo has made further changes to its Executive Committee to enhance “in-market accountability”, which is key to Diageo’s strategy under Ivan Menezes. 

Quintessential Brands has announced the acquisition of Marblehead, an independently owned UK- based brand development and distribution company. 

Edrington has announced group profits before tax was up 3% to £174.0m and turnover up 3% to £607.7m, for the year ended 31 March. 
  

Diageo has announced the appointment of Vickie Sheriff as global communications director. Sheriff will report to Charlotte Lambkin, global corporate relations director, and be responsible for external communications and employee engagement. She starts on September 1.

Beam Suntory has announced that it will begin distribution of the Suntory Japanese and scotch whiskies and Midori liqueur in the US and Germany beginning July 1.

Brintex, organisers of the London Wine Fair, has hailed the reinvented, relocated trade show a success.

Wallaces–TCB (Tennant Caledonian Breweries), formed after the completion of the acquisition of Wallaces Express, Scotland’s largest wines and spirits wholesaler, by C&C Group, has announced the following senior management appointments, reporting to chief executive, Brian Calder.

Drambuie the scotch whisky liqueur is up for sale, according to the Financial Times newspaper.

Treasury Wine Estates has rejected an AUS$3.05 billion (US$2.85 billion) takeover bid from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR).

Entries are now welcome for the first-ever Investec Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year 2014.

The next Vinexpo exhibition will be held in Bordeaux, France from Sunday June 14 to Thursday the 18th 2015.

Diageo has announced the appointment of Alan Stewart to its board as a non-executive director, effective September 1.

Edrington, , has announced the establishment of Edrington Americas, a wholly-owned sales, marketing and distribution company for the US.

Edrington has announced the establishment of Edrington Americas, a wholly-owned sales, marketing and distribution company for the US.

English wine producer Chapel Down has announced pre-tax profit of £68k (2012: £414k) for the year ending December 31, 2013.

Pernod Ricard’s net sales for the first nine months of the 2013/14 financial year totalled €6,186 million – down 7% on the same period last year. The company says the results are in line with the first half-year and sales were stable excluding foreign exchange and group structure effects.

Hotelex Shanghai Fine Food Expo 2014 welcomed thousands of visitors from around China last week to the latest incarnation of its drinks exhibition, That’s Spirits.

Diageo's new chief executive Ivan Menezes, has announced a series of changes to his executive management committee

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the UK’s chief finance minister, has frozen the controversial so-called alcohol duty accelerator on spirits and standard cider.

Diageo has announced that its president new businesses, Andrew Morgan, is to retire.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Marketing and Advertising has published new guidelines on alcohol marketing and advertising.

Gruppo Campari has bought the Canadian whisky producer Forty Creek Distillery (FCD), an independently owned Canadian spirits company.

Gruppo Campari has posted up sales of €1,524 million, +13.7%, (organic growth +1.7%) while the group net profit was down -4.4% to €149.8m for the for the full year ending December 31, 2013.

Wirtz Beverage Group, a distributor of wine, spirits and beer brands, has been named exclusive national broker for Diageo beer, wine, spirits and RTD brands in Canada.

Pernod Ricard has reported net sales for the first semester of 2013/14 totalled €4.57 million.

Off Licence News’ Drinks Retailer Awards took place in London’s Dorchester Hotel last night, celebrating success and innovation in the UK sector.

First Drinks Brands and Rémy Cointreau have confirmed that their distribution agreement in the UK will end on March 31.

Rossi D’Asiago has announced that its flagship brand, Antica Sambuca, will now be distributed in Germany by Hardenberg-Wilthen.

JF Hillebrand Group  has announced that it has bought the Satellite Logistics Group, a leading US-based supply chain provider for the beverage industry.

JF Hillebrand Group  has announced that it has bought the Satellite Logistics Group, a leading US-based supply chain provider for the beverage industry.

Diageo has said it will sell several Whyte & Mackay brands, including Jura, to satisfy the Office of Fair Trading.

Banning multi-buy promotions for alcohol failed to reduce the amount purchased, according to a study. 

Altia Plc has released CEO Antti Pankakoski. He has been CEO since 2007. He left last Wednesday, November 21.

SABMiller has announced that in light of a deterioration in the health of chairman Graham Mackay the board has re-appointed deputy chairman John Manser as acting chairman.

The directors of Davide Campari-Milano SpA has announced its consolidated results for the nine months ending 30 September 2013.

Direct Wines has announced that it had sold its Virgin Wines UK business to the management team.

Canada has agreed a free trade deal that will eliminate tariffs on EU spirits and wine.

JF Hillebrand Benelux has announced that it is to buy all of  Meerendonk Advanced Logistics’ activities in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Western spirits companies that focus on growing margins to create value have been more successful than those that reduced prices in order to grow volumes, according to a report from Rabobank.

Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) chief executive Miles Beale, has criticised the UK government’s so-called ‘Alcohol Duty Escalator’ which has seen the tax on wine and spirits rise by up to 50%.

Stock Spirits Group has announced its intention to offer shares to institutional investors and float on the London Stock Exchange. It is expected the offer will complete next month. It hopes to raise £52 million.

Pernod Ricard CEO Pierre Pringuet was in Vietnam yesterday to sign a multi-partite agreement extending the International Center for Alcohol Policies’ (ICAP) pilot programme in its fight against drunk driving.

Mast-Jägermeister has begun the transition to take UK distribution in-house after announcing plans to establish its own London subsidiary. 

Cellar trends has said the UK's cocktail boom is “seriously underestimated”, even by on-trade data agency CGA Strategy.

The organiser of ProWein has announced that ProWein 2014 is already fully booked, six months before the show.

Camus Cognac and Synergy Group have linked up to launch Beluga vodka in China.

A long, hot summer did nothing to boost the UK on-trade’s fortunes, the sector's volume sales having shrunk 6% in the last 12 weeks, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

The Irish prime minister or Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, yesterday (September 4) officially opened Irish Distillers’ newly expanded Midleton distillery in Cork.

Recoveries in the much-maligned markets of France and Spain helped to off-set declines in Asia as global sales of Scotch grew 11% by value and 9% by volume for the first half of 2013.