just-drinks.com hot topics
just the answer - Stolichnaya - (26th August 2008)
Pernod Ricard's acquisition of Absolut has once again made the future of Stolichnaya a subject of intense speculation. Pernod had been in negotiations with Russian owner SPI Group about a possible acquisition of Stolichnaya, but for anti-trust reasons has had to abandon any such plans and walk away from its existing international distribution agreement for the brand. Chris Mercer spoke with SPI minority shareholder Andrey Skurikhin about Stoli’s future.
The View from A Farr – Smooth move - (21st August 2008)
Innocent has blazed a trail in the smoothie category but as these drinks have become more popular, juice companies have looked to capitalise by launching their own products. Now Innocent has retaliated by creating its own juice brand and, writes Annette Farr, the company has once again demonstrated considerable self-confidence by launching a new premium product at a time when consumers are tightening their belts.
The just-drinks interview - Skyy Spirits - (19th August 2008)
Gloomy talk of a global economic slowdown have so far failed to dilute growth in the US vodka category. One of the better known contenders in the segment – if only for its ocean blue-coloured bottle – is Skyy vodka. In this month's just-drinks interview, Olly Wehring grills the president & CEO of Skyy Spirits, Gerry Ruvo, over the rise of the company's namesake vodka brand, what the future holds for the Campari-owned unit, and how much longer vodka's moment in the US sun can last.
just the answer: Southern Wine & Spirits of America - (14th August 2008)
Yesterday's announcement that Southern Wine & Spirits of America is to merge with Glazer's Distributors in the US signifies the spread of consolidation throughout the drinks industry. In this month's 'just the answer', Olly Wehring talks to Southern's president & COO - and soon to be CEO of the new venture - Wayne Chaplin.
The Losh Cause – French growers growing angry - (12th August 2008)
With sales falling at home and abroad, the implementation of EU wine reforms imminent and the prospect of even tighter regulation on wine marketing in France, it is not hard to see why emotions among French wine producers have once again boiled over. Chris Losh argues that some contraction of French wine production will be no bad thing but believes the Government should not be passing legislation restricting more commercially astute operators from moving forwards.
Focus - Japanese continue to thirst for functional drinks - (7th August 2008)
Functional drinks may be a relatively recent phenomenon in many markets but they are certainly nothing new in Japan where ‘genki’ energy drinks have been enthusiastically consumed for decades. Moreover, writes Gavin Blair, deregulation has fostered further growth in the health drinks market.
Focus - Sports drinks and The Olympic Games - (5th August 2008)
The 2008 Beijing Olympics are almost upon us as we finally realise that in addition to all the brand sponsorship activity, there will be some sport. Not surprisingly Coca-Cola is one of the leading participants in the brand marketing frenzy but Annette Farr found a surprising paucity of activity around sports drinks.
The Losh Cause – Rioja: White noise - (31st July 2008)
Spain’s premier wine region, Rioja, has been in heated debate over the addition of new white grape varieties to those allowed under the Rioja denomination. The introduction of several almost extinct local varieties has been widely accepted but, writes Chris Losh, the addition of the ubiquitous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to the region’s list of permitted white grapes has proved far more controversial.
just the answer – UK Wine and Spirit Trade Association - (29th July 2008)
Last week, the UK government published a consultation document which many believe to be the prelude to tighter legislation on alcoholic drinks. In this month’s Just the Answer interview, Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), takes the opportunity to put the industry’s case for the retention of self-regulatory control, and suggests the Government is basing its position on flawed analysis.
Focus - UK lawmakers look to rein in drinks companies - (24th July 2008)
The consultation launched by the UK government this week represents a strong indication that it has lost patience with the drinks industry, and is moving towards introducing mandatory measures to replace self-regulatory ones. Ben Cooper analyses the reaction from industry bodies and campaigners, and assesses where this week’s announcement leaves the industry.
