Europe Intelligence Wire articles from May 2008

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from May 2008

Research discounts case for low pricing.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Graham Holter Seventy-three per cent of off-licence customers who buy discounted products say they would have bought the drinks even if they had not been on promotion. That was one finding in...

Berkmann snaps up Vinoceros.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Berkmann Wine Cellars has bought Vinoceros and its subsidiary Laymont & Shaw for an undisclosed sum. The deal will strengthen Berkmann's position in the off-trade and combine two complementary portfolios and...

Stage is set for IWC's champions.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Three-hundred and seventy-six judges have spent nine days judging a record number of the world's best wines - and sakes - at this year's International Wine Challenge at London's Barbican. This year saw the...

'Silver surfers' swell web sales by 60%.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Online drinks sales surged by 60% in February and March and are now worth AGBP700 million a year, according to new data. IMRG Capgemini, which provides market intelligence for internet companies, reports that...

Collingwood quits Drinkaware Trust.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The Drinkaware Trust has again got a recruitment problem on its hands following the sudden departure of chief executive Jean Collingwood. Collingwood had been in the role only a year and had seemingly offered...

Plan to take Stella out of the cold.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) InBev is using poster and digital ads to help build a more positive image for Stella Artois. The month-long nationwide push will underline the brand's quality credentials by emphasising the craftmanship that...

In Brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Blood: MD for Heineken in UK S&N managing director Jeremy Blood has been appointed managing director of Heineken's UK business following the Dutch brewer's takeover of Scottish & Newcastle, in partnership with...

AGBP10m bid to dispel unit myths.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Rosie Davenport A AGBP10 million government-funded campaign will hit TV screens later this month in a bid to cut confusion about the units of alcohol in drinks. The Department of Health is expected to...

VOX SHOP.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) "We try and recycle everything because we have huge amounts of cardboard. It seems the more environmentally friendly you are, the more expensive it is. Like the cardboard boxes with your shop's details printed on...

Spandau Ballet star's brewing Gold.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The lead singer of 1980s chart-toppers Spandau Ballet has bought a stake in a Suffolk microbrewery. Tony Hadley has taken a 25% shareholding in Bury St Edmunds-based Red Rat along with his manager John Glover....

Carbon calculator is launched.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Rosie Davenport The Wine & Spirit Trade Association has developed a system to help importers work out the size of their carbon footprint. The online Transport Carbon Calculator enables companies to...

Bulmers ad marks British summer.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Over-ice cider Bulmers Original is launching a national TV ad which celebrates Britain's unpredictable summer weather. The 30-second ad is called Our Summer and features a voiceover by TV actor Stephen...

Adnams' planet-saving ale.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Rosie Davenport Adnams is adding three new beers to its portfolio, including one it claims is Europe's first carbon-neutral brew. The brewer calculated the amount of carbon generated throughout the...

Profits up for English Wine.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Despite poor weather and rising costs, English Wines Group managed to climb back into profit in its most recent trading year. The Tenterden-based producer of Chapel Down wines made a pre-tax profit of...

Jefford spotlights Southwest France.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Wine writer and broadcaster Andrew Jefford will introduce visitors to the London wine fair to the indigenous grape varieties of Southwest France, in a seminar that also looks at how different terroirs affect the...

In Brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Clink! Wines' feminine touch Former Orbital Wines marketing manager Catherine Monahan has established a new agency business called Clink! Wines. The company, based in London's Knightsbridge, will be unveiling a...

Retailers probed over tobacco sales.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The Thresher Group, the big four supermarkets and some convenience groups all face a probe by the Office of Fair Trading over the pricing of tobacco. The OFT claims manufacturers and retailers "variously engaged...

Williams wins twice at JS.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Scottish brewer Williams Brothers is the only producer to have two ales chosen for a beer festival listing in the first Sainsbury's Beer Competition. The brewer's Good Times Ale and Harvest Sun both made it...

Industry urged to tackle backlash.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The drinks industry must do more to be heard against a wave of anti-alcohol sentiment in order to survive in a tough environment, the WSTA has warned. Speaking at the Wine & Spirit Trade Association's spring...

In Brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Light gets fit Magners is targeting hair salons and health clubs in London in a campaign for Magners Light. Ads are being shown on screens in 111 salons, including branches of Hair Associates, Headmasters and Trevor...

Chinese wines at Morrisons.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Laura Clark Morrisons is claiming to be the first UK supermarket to sell Chinese wine. The retailer has added two wines from the north west of China to its portfolio. Silk Road Cabernet Sauvignon...

Tough stance starts to show as off-licences are shut down.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Graham Holter Four off-licences have been forced out of drinks retailing after repeatedly selling alcohol to children, indicating that a get-tough policy from licensing committees is taking effect. ...

Alcohol education plans for schools.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Beam Global has spoken of plans to pilot an alcohol education programme in a UK school to help children better understand alcohol. Talks are taking place between the drinks company and Sussex police about...

In Brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Car takes a flyer The Flying Corkscrew, the independent wine merchant based in Water End, Herts, had a narrow escape last weekend when a driver crashed at 80mph and collided with vehicles parked on a neighbouring...

Cobra strikes out with low-cal look.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Cobra Beer is renaming its low-calorie lager as part of a packaging redesign across three of its brands. Cobra Low Cal will now be labelled Cobra Light, while alcohol-free Cobra 0.0% will be branded Cobra Zero...

Industry plans marketing to demonise drunkenness.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Drinks retailers and producers are examining ways their marketing campaigns can help make drunkenness socially unacceptable. A seminar hosted by the Portman Group last week saw the trade discuss responsible...

Davenport direct.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The green agenda has come a long way since Swampy crawled out of the tunnels he squatted in protest at plans to build the Newbury bypass. Twelve years on, cars are chugging along the controversial road which sparked...

Feedback.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Staff must make most of a difficult situation What is wrong with the staff and managers of Threshers? It seems noAone took any notice of our chief executive and they continue to use OLN as a bulletin board for...

In defence of Thresher Group.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) After having read various letters slating the Thresher Group lately, I feel the need to drop in a defence. Imagine the scenario. You are a manager who has just taken over a new branch. You get there and soon...

Long-term solution lies with families.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Politicians of all parties, backed by the health lobby, have played on public and media concern about binge-drinking and anti social behaviour in recent years and used it to progressively marginalise the alcoholic...

Take note 'bolockbuster'.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) A s an independent retailer, one develops a slightly "make do and mend" approach to retailing. If the paint work needs touching up, or more shelves need to be built in the store room, calling in outside experts isn'...

MARKET MONITOR A graphic guide to the off-trade.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Most men try out five to eight different beers before settling on their preferred brand, and taste and quality are the main influences on their choice of beer, a poll of more than 1,000 beer-drinking men for Greene...

Why the Jygsaw deal isn' puzzling.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) It's just four years since Steve Perez, the boss of VK RTD firm Global Brands, told Off Licence News that he liked "being a thorn in the side of the big corporations ". It was something of a surprise then when...

How off-trade can get support from Pubwatch schemes.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Q I'm feeling increasingly isolated in the battle against under-age sales, despite trying to foster good relations with the police. Is there an off-trade version of Pubwatch anywhere which could provide inspiration...

the forum.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Q I pride myself on having tasted every wine on my shelves and I write tasting notes for them all. But when a customer challenged me to describe and identify some of them in a blind tasting, I was all at sea. Is...

Someone's not pulling their weight.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Q A colleague is persistently late for the start of their shift. As well as causing inconvenience and annoyance to colleagues, this person is being paid for work they do not do while others are not paid for...

A force to be reckoned with.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The appointment of Arabella Woodrow MW as head of Morrisons' wine buying team was the finale of a three-year drive by the supermarket to premiumise its wine offering. With her experience of retail , including stints...

Getting the best out of the best.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) By the time you read this, the judges at the 2008 International Wine Challenge will have made their final deliberations. The last bottle will have been recycled, the last wine tasted. For anyone who has taken part...

Don' call in the heavies for the wrong consumer types.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) I nearly sprained my wrist lifting a bottle of Tuscan red off the table last night. It was so heavy that, even emptied of the 75cl of wine it contained, it could still pass muster as a reasonably challenging dumb...

Sauternes 'monster vintage'.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Laura Clark Dry white wines of Graves and sweet wines of Sauternes have been hailed as the stars of Bordeaux's 2007 vintage. Both have impressed wine experts and producers at the en primeur tastings...

Montana commits to the environment.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) New Zealand producer Montana has commit ted to us ing more environmentally-friendly packaging, fewer chemicals in the vineyards and reducing its contribution to landfill waste. The project includes extensive...

Visitors' centre to push wine tourism.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) French co-operative Mont Tauch is building a visitors' centre in the Languedoc. The new centre at the winery in Tuchan will open to the public at the end of July and will aim to educate visitors about Mont Tauch...

Lifestyle brand's office move pays off.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Thierry's says a decision to take a South African wine sampling campaign outside the normal retail environment and into offices has produced positive results. Some 3,000 consumers took part in the sampling...

Chilean launch from ZGM UK.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) ZGM has launched a range of Chilean wine as part of its AGBP4.8 million investment in the UK market. ViAa Zamporia is made in the Coquimbo region, Chile's most northerly wine-producing area, and bottled at ZGM's...

Tasting table.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The Pilgrimage Mencia Do Bierzo 2006 Distributor: Guy Anderson Wines Plums and black cherry on the nose followed by more cherries and lovely chocolate notes on the palate. EE ChAteau Tour Prignac MAdoc 2004 Oddbins...

News in brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) l The deadline for submissions to this year's New Wave Spanish Wine Awards competition is Wed May 7. The event takes place in London on June 10 and 11 and will be overseen by Tim Atkin MW as chairman of the judges....

College taps into ex-students.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Christine Boggis Wine business students at Sussex-based Plumpton College will get the chance to import and sell former students' wines in an initiative that kicks off at an on-campus open day next...

New group breathes life into O2 research.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Nomacorc has teamed up with other manufacturers, distributers, suppliers and service providers to the wine trade to set up a non-profit organisation devoted to oxygen management in wines. The group, named...

Grosser Ring event marks centenary.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Mosel-Saar-Ruwer producers' association Grosser Ring is celebrating its centenary with a UK tasting. The tasting will be the organisation's 21st event in the UK and will take place at the German embassy in...

RhAne offers best of north and south with new vintage.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Noel Young Wines has added 2006 releases from ChAteau de Beaucastel to its RhAne en primeur offer. Under-bond case prices range from AGBP110 for the Coudoulet de Beaucastel red to AGBP380 for ChAteauneuf-du-Pape...

Beasties bump up sales for Inverarity.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Glasgow wine merchant Inverarity One to One is reporting encouraging sales of its own-label Timorous Beasties wines, featuring labels conceived in the city by the design house of the same name. The wines are...

Wines of the World goes to the movies.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) London merchant Wines of the World has combined its hand-selling expertise with new technology by introducing video to its website, winesoftheworld.co.uk. Visitors to the site are greeted by a professionally...

County town move for Sussex Wine Co.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Graham Holter One of the best-known independent wine merchants in East Sussex has relocated from its original home in Eastbourne to the county town of Lewes. The Sussex Wine Company, owned by Ben and Georgie...

Reigning Spain is better than ever.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Fantastic", "excellent" and "an easy sell" are the kind of reactions you get when you talk to independents and buyers in the multiple off-trade about Rioja. The region's wines, it seems, are still enjoying good...

Over-ice summer sampling.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Nigel Huddleston Scottish & Newcastle UK is shining the spotlight on over-ice cider for its annual Biggest Round brand experience programme in major multiples. The brewer will use the campaign to promote...

Lager art sums upAspirit of Brazil.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Bottles of Brahma lager featuring the work of a winning artist in a competition will be on sale in take-home from May. Toby Whitbread from Kent took the top cash prize of AGBP5,000 in the VistoBrahma competition...

Speciality website launched by InBev.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) InBev UK has launched a website to help retailers make the most of the opportunity for speciality beer sales. Specialitybeerselection.com takes over from a previous site opened in 2005 when the market was still...

Brewery takes aim with centenary ale.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Oxfordshire brewer Hook Norton has teamed up with the British Association of Shooting & Conservation to brew a beer to mark its centenary. Double Barrelled is a 4.3 % abv ale which will be available in bottles...

Cobra bites first ever sampling drive.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Cobra Beer has launched its first ever national sampling campaign, targeting some 1,000 off and on-trade venues around the country. Throughout the summer, the sampling drive - which is themed under Cobra's new...

Father's Day treat in rum cask beer.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Boutique Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn is releasing a limited edition Rum Cask Finish beer for Father's Day. The company, which has made its name producing beer aged in casks that have formerly been used to age...

Carling sponsors 600 movies on ITV.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Coors Brewers is putting AGBP2 million into a Carling sponsorship of movies on ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4. The 12-month deal will cover 600 films and include online and mobile ads on the brand's current You Know Who Your...

Double ale hit for Williams in festival.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Scottish brewer Williams Brothers is the only producer to have two ales chosen for a beer festival listing in the first Sainsbury's Beer Competition. The brewer's Good Times Ale and Harvest Sun made it through...

News in brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) l Oz Clarke and James May will endeavour to find the perfect British beer or cider in their next series for BBC2. The show, with the working title Oz & James's Big British Adventure, will be the pair's third for the...

Diageo refreshes spirit of summer.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Byline: Laura Clark Diageo is ploughing AGBP1.4 million into a marketing push for its core spirits brands this summer. The drinks giant is hoping to encourage consumers to mix their own drinks at home by...

Caribbean gold from Inspirit stable.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Inspirit Brands is rolling out a range of premium Caribbean rums in the UK. El Dorado Rum is produced by Demerara Distillers in Demerara, Guyana. The range includes a 12 Year Old dark rum with a price tag of...

Celebrating eccentricity with Hendrick's.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Hendrick's Gin is hosting a series of flamboyant Victorian-themed events in cities across the world including London, Cannes, New York, Barcelona and Paris. Called The Fantastic & Ridiculous Monday of The...

Quality marque promotes rums.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) The West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers' Association has revealed details of its campaign to promote Caribbean rum. Running under the Authentic Caribbean Rum Marque, it includes marking bottles with an...

In brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) l The Dalmore 1974 and Jura 1974 will join the Whyte & Mackay 40 Year Old and the Dalmore 40 Year Old to complete the Rare and Prestige collection o f whiskies. Only 220 bottles of The Dalmore 1974 will go into the...

Retro range feeds into trends.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Nigel Huddleston Barr Soft Drinks has launched a range of traditional carbonated drinks in four flavours. Barr's Originals comes in Real Lemonade, Ginger Beer, Dandelion & Burdock and Cream Soda varieties,...

Beauty goes skin deep for waters.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) A bottled water which is claimed to help fight acne is being launched by Works With Water. The Beauty brand contains the protein praventin, which the producer claims can stop the build-up of bacteria responsible...

New twist on Cadbury's Creme Egg.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Cadbury's is bringing out a chocolate bar version of its popular Creme Egg, to give the brand's so-called "goo" more year-round appeal. The company described Creme Egg Twisted as its "biggest chocolate...

In brief.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) l United Biscuits UK is backing the launch of its McVitie's Yumbles range with a AGBP500,000 marketing push. Activity will include radio ads and a link-up with the Daily Mail, which will offer readers the chance to...

Galaxy's sexy city break giveaway.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Galaxy is offering seven trips to New York in an on-pack give away to support its sponsorship of the Sex & the City film. For eight weeks the gold foil on 150g bars will be replaced with a pink logo. The instant...

Fab promotion designed to help kids.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) R&R Ice Cream is running a AGBP1 million marketing campaign to promote lolly brand Fab this summer. Designed to target mums, it will run from May to August and includes press ads in consumer magazines such as...

Club seals reputation of independents.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Running a wine shop is not an easy way of making money . With customers distracted by gondola-end deals while they get their weekly groceries, and tempted by the internet, new tactics are called for to retain...

Top Tip.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) "As a retailer you've got to have vision and passion. To succeed you've got to be outrageously different because it will attract people's attention. Word of mouth is the biggest advertising of all. You can do...

Dates for your diary.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) May 12 A Tutored Tasting Of Fine California Wines, Hesperia Hotel, London (bensonwines@connectingbusiness.com) May 13 Launch of Journey Into Wine - Australia, Covent Garden hotel, London (uk@wineaustralia.com) May...

COMPETITION.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) As part of Hardys' new AGBP12 million marketing campaign, the UK's number one wine brand is offering three OLN readers two cases of Hardys wine each to sell in their store. The theme of Hardys' heavyweight...

TALKING HEADS.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) It's our round - what are you having? I'll have a pint of Rebellion IPA, brewed down the road from me in Marlow. If you could choose anyone in the world to be prime minister, who would it be? Lembit Opik, just...

The wine that dares to speak its name.
May 2, 2008... (From Off Licence News) Hooray for the enlightened vignerons of Ribera del Duero, who have produced a wine called Mundo Gay "to take a small step in making homosexuality normal", according to reports. The wine is produced by Robeal in...

The New Face Of Hospitality.
May 5, 2008... (From The Moscow Times) Before becoming the manager of Hotel Katerina City in Moscow, Katerina Oudalova, 27, ran her own fashion design business in Sweden, where her Russian parents emigrated in 1989. The hotel -- the first privately owned...

Beslan Faces Cutoff Of Electricity Supply.
May 5, 2008... (From The Moscow Times) An unpaid bill for street lighting could plunge Beslan, the North Ossetian town that suffered the country's worst-ever terrorist attack, into darkness if the local government doesn't pay up. The town's 37,000...

Flying Cameras and a Prayer for Medvedev.
May 5, 2008... (From The Moscow Times) The final act in Russia's highly choreographed transition of power is set to begin Wednesday at noon. When Dmitry Medvedev arrives at the Kremlin for his presidential inauguration, hundreds of VIP guests will be...

Communism's New Crisis.
May 5, 2008... (From The Moscow Times) A decade ago, the triumph of liberalism in Europe was so overwhelming that even parties that traced their political lineage to the early 20th-century revolutionary working class movement did not to speak openly...