UK distributor Cellar Trends has added the bitters brand Underberg and Grasovka Vodka to its portfolio.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced in the Budget today (March 16) that the UK duty on spirits, beer and cider duty will be frozen but wine duty will rise with inflation.

Gruppo Campari has launched a ‘friendly’ takeover of Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle SA, owner of the Grand Marnier liqueur brand.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has reported revenue growth of 6.3% for the full year 2015 with total volumes down 0.6%.

Montgomery Exhibitions has announced a new event for the food and beverage market in Kenya that will run from May 23-25, 2017 at The Dome in Nairobi, Kenya.

ProWein organisers Messe Düsseldorf has announced the appointment of Marius Berlemann as the show’s new head.

Pernod Ricard in the half year 2015/16, has reported 3% organic sales growth to €4.958 million and organic growth in profit from recurring operations +3% to €1,438m.

Research commissioned by the trade show organiser, Vinexpo, predicts a +1.4% volume increase in world wine consumption and a spirits increase of +2.8% to 2019.

Ian Harris, chief executive at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drinks Retailing Awards held at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Tuesday (February 2).

Organisers of the huge Bordeaux wine and spirits trade exhibition, Vinexpo, has announced its dates for the 2017 show.

Diageo has announced 1.8% organic net sales growth, on 1.0% organic volume growth and 2.4% organic operating profit growth.

Gruppo Campari has announced Campari UK, is the new trading name for its UK subsidiary J Wray & Newphew. 

Gruppo Campari has continued its divestment programme of non-core businesses with the sale of  Casoni Fabbricazione Liquori to local Italian entrepreneurs. 

The European Court of Justice has pronounced that the Scottish government’s attempt at setting a minimum unit price for alcohol is contrary to EU law.

UK shoppers are spending more on beers, wines and spirits in the run up to Christmas, according to the latest retail data from market research group, IRI.

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) president and CEO Craig Wolf has written to the industry’s primary federal regulator asking for clarification about the legality of a new single source retail service providers programme being implemented by The Kroger Company.

Conviviality, the leading off licence and convenience store chain, has appointed Mark Aylwin as managing director of Matthew Clark.

Diageo has announced that, together with Heineken and the Ohlthaver & List group of companies, they have completed the restructuring of their respective joint venture operations in South Africa and Namibia.

Brown-Forman has announced the retirement of its veteran Middle East representative Tony McIver, effective June 30.

Tony Hammond, the founder and chairman of independent wine and spirit merchant Hammonds of Knutsford, has died at the age of 79.

Stock Spirits, the leading spirits business in Central and Eastern Europe, has announced that Miroslaw Stachowicz has been an independent non-executive director with immediate effect.

The Stoli Group has announced the appointment of two new distribution companies - Premier Wines & Spirits as its Czech Republic distributor and Panna Cocktail as its Hungary distributor, both for Stolichnaya and elit by Stolichnaya.

SABMiller has extended the deadline for rival Anheuser-Busch InBev to make a formal takeover offer.

Xavier Beysecker, currently VP marketing, Absolut at the Absolut Company has been appointed VP Digital of Pernod Ricard Asia, effective as of November 1.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has reached agreement in principle to buy SABMiller for £68bn, the completion of which would make the new company the producer of one in three beers sold globally.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has expressed surprise at SABMiller rejection of its bid to take over the company.

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV is lining up banks including Bank of America Corp. and Banco Santander SA to arrange as much as US$70 billion in financing as it prepares to make a takeover proposal for SABMiller Plc, according to reports from Bloomberg News.

Accolade Wines has appointed Paul Schaafsma as its new chief executive officer, succeeding John Ratcliffe who
 will become deputy chairman.

MillerCoors, the US and Puerto Rican joint venture between SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. has made Gavin Hattersley its chief executive officer.

Analysts at the Japanese bank, Nomura, are speculating on a merger between Diageo and South African-based global brewer, SABMiller.

Accolade Wines has entered into an agreement to sell its 50% shareholding in Matthew Clark, the UK’s largest independent drinks distributor, to Conviviality Retail Plc, one of the UK’s largest franchised off-licence and convenience chains, for £100 million.

SABMiller has appointed Philip Hodges to the newly created role of group director, integrated supply and as a member of the group’s executive committee with effect from December 1, in succession to Tony van Kralingen, whose intended retirement was announced in April 2015.

The Scotch Whisky Association has welcomed the UK government’s Advocate General’s opinion on the minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol.

A senior Pernod Ricard management team were in London this week (Sept 2) to clarify, explain and defend its recent 2014/15 full year results.

Diageo wants China to contribute 5% of sales in the next 10 years, reports Bloomberg News.

Kingsland Drinks, the major UK wine and spirits supplier, has announced that it is to integrate the Bottle Green business, which it bought back in April.

Pernod Ricard reports +2% organic sales growth for the financial year 2014/15 in an environment that remains “challenging”, it says.

Constellation has bought a minority share in Charles Joly’s Crafthouse Cocktails, a pre-mixed drinks company. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

The South African-based Distell Group reports that it has raised revenue by 10.4% to 19.6 billion rand on a sales volume increase of 5.7% for the 12 months to June 30, 2015.

Berry Bros & Rudd has announced the appointment of Dan Jago, Tesco’s group wine director at Tesco, as its new chief executive.

Altia, the leading Nordic and Baltic wine and spirits company, has made Petra Gräsbeck its new communications director.

The world’s largest premium drinks company has announced a net sales increase of 5% for the year ended June 30.

Diageo has announced the appointment of Emma Walmsley as a non-executive director effective January 1, 2016. 

Diageo has announced that Diageo, Heineken NV and the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) group, the majority shareholder of Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), have agreed to restructure their South African and Namibian joint ventures.

Suntory Holdings has announced the sale of cognac group Louis Royer to the family group Terroirs Distillers, a privately-held fine spirits company based in France.

Diageo has announced the appointment of James Thompson as chief marketing and innovation Officer for North America, effective August 1.

SABMiller’s board has announced that it intends to appoint Domenic De Lorenzo as an executive director and as chief financial officer with effect from the conclusion of the forthcoming annual general meeting, to be held on July 23.

Diageo has announced the sale of Gleneagles Hotel to a private investment group led by Ennismore for an undisclosed amount.

Deidre Mahlan to be appointed president, Diageo North America. Tom Looney is appointed president, open and control states; Tom Day is becomes president, Diageo-Guinness USA and Jeff Ivey takes on national accounts leadership.

Vinexpo says 48,500 people visited its recent Bordeaux show, claiming that is stable with 2013.