Douglas Taylor

Wine and Spirits Industry in the UK - UK wine and spirit industry boosts economy with £76bn contribution A recent report by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has highlighted the substantial economic impact of the UK's wine and spirit industry, which contributed over £76bn to the economy in 2022. This marks a significant increase from the £49bn reported five years ago #wine #wines #spirits #uk #alcohol #alcoholicbeverages #wines

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company Axe Well-Known Beer Brands, Says CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reported that pubs will soon be unable to stock iconic beers, including Banks’s Mild, following the Carlsberg buy-out of the last of Marston’s UK brewing operations. Fears that global brewers hugely reduce consumer choice in the UK have, CAMRA say, been realised as Carlsberg Marston's Brewing company (CMBC) axes eight classic British cask beers. The decision to delist these brands by the end of the year will have a huge impact on both pubs and pubgoers dealing brewing, consumer choice, and industry jobs another blow they said Despite an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority finding that the merger of Marston’s and Carlsberg would not have negative effects, it is now confirmed that the consolidation of the businesses will be followed by the consolidation of their brands, resulting in a huge loss of choice at the bar for consumers. Eight cask beers and a further three keg brands will no longer be available to pubs. The Eight cask beers and a further three keg brands which will no longer be available to pubsare: - Banks’s Mild - Banks’s Sunbeam - Bombardier - Eagle IPA - Jenning Cumberland Ale - Mansfield Dark Smooth - Mansfield Original Bitter - Marston’s Old Empire - Marston’s 61 Deep - Ringwood Boondoggle - Ringwood Old Thumper Commenting, CAMRA’s Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Director and Vice Chair, Gillian Hough said: “This is another example of a globally owned business wiping out UK brewing heritage. “I hope that this change will mean space on the bar for licensees to stock guest beers from local independent breweries, but realistically, I suspect this isn't what CMBC plans. This loss of consumer choice is the inevitable outcome of a brewing conglomerate run by accountants and the bottom line. This is a sad and disappointing decision that puts both the history and the future of British brewing in jeopardy.” Read More:

Marston’s Plc To Dispose Of 40% Stake In Brewing To Become A Focused Pub Business Marston’s PLC has announced the sale of its remaining non-core brewing assets to create a business entirely focused on pubs, with a binding agreement to sell the whole of its 40% interest in Carlsberg Marston’s Limited (“CMBC”) to a subsidiary of Carlsberg A/S (“Carlsberg”) (the “Transaction”) for £206 million in cash. The firm, which has brewed beer in Wolverhampton since 1875, announced on Monday that it sold its stake in Carlsberg Marston’s Limited (CMBC), a joint venture valued at £780m, to Carlsberg. Chief executive officer of Marston's Justin Platt said the sale to the Danish brewing company "significantly reduced" Marston's debt. The group will now focus on running about 1,370 pubs, which it operates across England, Scotland, and Wales. Marston's and Carlsberg announced a merger in May 2020 to form CMBC, in a move which involved Marston's six breweries and distribution depots, but not its pubs. However, Marston’s said it would continue its "strong partnership" with CMBC through the long-term brand distribution agreement which remains in place. The Campaign for Real Ale has said it is fearful about the future of UK beers, brands and breweries following the announcement that Marston’s is selling all its remaining ‘non-core’ brewing assets to a subsidiary of Carlsberg, to focus on running pubs. The sale comes after Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company introduced its ‘Fresh Ale’ concept earlier this year. ‘Fresh Ales’ are kegged versions of cask beers, served through traditional handpumps at the bar reserved for cask conditioned beer. CAMRA slammed the move as misleading to consumers and damaging to traditional cask ale, while also reporting the brewing giant to Trading Standards. Commenting on Marston’s selling the remainder of its brewing operations, CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona said: “This is a worrying development for Britain’s brewing heritage with Marston’s remaining brewing assets being transferred to a global brewing business which has already presided over the closure of historic breweries like Jennings in Cumbria and Charles Wells Eagle in Bedford, stopped selling cask ale in Scotland and has introduced an extremely damaging ‘fresh ale’ concept which is misleading to pubgoers and threatens the future of British cask conditioned ale. “CAMRA fears that this announcement could lead to a further erosion of the UK’s rich brewing history for the benefit of conglomerate global brewers – and particularly the commitment to brewing cask. The consolidation of the brewing industry into just a few large, international players erodes our brewing heritage, consumer choice, the diversity of beer in pubs across the country and the access to market for small, independent producers. “Having Marston’s pubs continuing to be subject to an anti-competitive supply tie by Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company is also a cause for concern, limiting choice for customers …

Private-label wine and spirits have seen an impressive rise in popularity in the UK beverage market, transforming the landscape of the wine and spirits industry. This trend, driven primarily by supermarkets and retail stores, offers a range of benefits for both retailers and consumers. This article explores the rise of private-label products, the advantages they provide, and how they are reshaping the industry. As we know lot of trends and patterns follow to USA from UK when it comes to the beverage. Retailers looking to develop private label products are encouraged to attend International Bulk Wine & Spirits Show that’s happening on July 23-24 in San Francisco. Do check out the full story below on our new UK 🇬🇧 magazine for off trade Drinks Merchants 🍷

UK Spirits Market Declines by 5% in 2023: What’s Behind the Unexpected Drop? #UKSpirits #MarketDecline #IndustryTrends #BeverageAnalysis #SpiritsMarket #EconomicImpact #DrinkInsights #MarketShift #BusinessNews #CheersToChange

The Nero Group, the family-owned and operated premium coffee house business behind Caffè Nero, has announced new partnerships with Waitrose & Partners and John Lewis Partnership. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gkMbhKTJ #FMCG #Grocery #Supermarkets #NZSupermarkets #SupermarketsNZ #NZGrocery #GroceryIndustry #GroceryRetail

Independent Brewing Sector Sees Strong Sales And Demand But Financial Pressures And Market Access Restricting Growth Figures released today show the total number of breweries in the UK has continued to decline despite the sector reporting strong sales, with a -29 net closure rate across the UK and no region in growth for the second consecutive quarter. The figures released today by the SIBA UK Brewery Tracker show the total number of active UK breweries now stands at 1748, a -29 net drop since the end of Q1 2024. The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker takes into account all brewery openings and closures to give an accurate picture of the number of active brewing businesses. The figures make for sobering reading, with small independent breweries struggling against rising costs and legacy Covid debt despite strong sales in the sector; production volumes now having returned to pre-covid levels and cask beer production being in double digit growth*. “Independent brewers are reporting good sales growth and strong consumer demand, yet breweries continue to close. For most breweries the challenge is financial pressures from rising costs and market access, as well as lingering Covid debt – something SIBA has strongly lobbied Government for help on.” Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive. With the price of a pint at an all-time high independent brewers cannot pass significant price rises in raw materials, energy and production on to their customers, making access to market and help with financial pressures the most pressing factors in helping brewery numbers stabilise. “Where independent beers are stocked they sell well. They just need more opportunity to do so.” Andy Slee added. Examining the figures regionally it is clear the Midlands were by far the worst hit in the second quarter 2024, with a Net closure rate of -11, followed by the East and South West who each saw a -4 net closure rate. Scotland, the North East and the South West faired only slightly better, each posting a -3 net closure rate. The East and North West experienced a more moderate -1 net change, with Northern Ireland and Wales both maintaining their brewery numbers during the second quarter, with no change to their net figure. Read More:

Alcohol-free wine is in the ascendant - Zero per cent is one of the biggest trends in drinks, but one of the biggest challenges for 0% wine is the way it tastes. A few facts on zero-alcohol drinks trends in the UK: - With 17% growth year on year, zero-alcohol sparking is the fastest growing category in wine in the UK - One in three pub visits in the UK are now alcohol-free - 2.6 million fewer UK adults are drinking alcohol weekly in 2024 compared to 2021 - 42% of no/low consumers do not drink full-strength alcohol - The remaining 58% are ‘moderators’ - The majority are ‘substituters’ for certain occasions, however some ‘blend’ on the same occasion #wine #wines #winebusiness #wineindustry #winemarkets #wineindustry #zeroalcohol #noalcohol #uk #pubs #zeroalcohol #zeroalcoholdrinks #drinks #beverages