Oops – what can it possible mean that Carlsberg’s head of the brewer’s Asia division decided to leave all of a sudden? The world’s number four brewer announced on 24 April 2013 that Roy Bagattini, 49, is leaving to take a job at fashion group Levi Strauss & Company as Executive Vice President and President of Commercial Operations, Asia Pacific, in June 2013.

So brewers have woken up and smelt the coffee? Several families with interests in – rival – breweries have clubbed together with Germany's Joh. A. Benckiser (JAB), the investment vehicle of the Reimann family, to make a bid for Dutch company DE Master Blenders, best known for its Douwe Egberts coffee brand.

That's it. Heineken hopes to exit Finland. According to media reports on 11 April 2013, Heineken has initiated sales procedures for its Finnish beer and beverage business Hartwall.

Why does the passing of Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, aged 87, make me think of gin? Don't get me wrong. I did not plan to join the hundreds of opponents of Margaret Thatcher for a "mass party" in London’s Trafalgar Square to celebrate her death on 13 April with a G&T (Gin and Tonic). I don't think it tasteful or called for to rejoice in her death, irrespective of what you think of her politics or legacy.

Who on earth is Harbin? It was only a small news item on 9 April 2013 that Dutch brewer Heineken, via its Austrian unit Brau Union AG, bought a 3.21 percent stake in brewer Zywiec from the minority shareholder Harbin.

What can it mean that Alexis Nasard, formerly Heineken’s Chief Commercial Officer, has been appointed President Western Europe & Chief Marketing Officer as of April this year?

“Sue me if you can”, seems to be CVC’s attitude in an ongoing spat between AB–InBev and the private equity company CVC. According to the fine print on page 27 of AB–InBev’s recent regulatory filing (25 March 2013), AB–InBev says that CVC owes them money from the 2009 sale of AB–InBev’s central European unit which later became StarBev.

And we thought the Brits would fight all continental “muck” on their beaches. Apparently not. They even seem to produce it themselves. Judging from the recent launches, this year will be the year of Radlers – courtesy of the global brewers Carlsberg, Molson Coors and Heineken.

Conferences & Events

Ho ho – a German beer cartel? At first sight, it cannot have been a very effective cartel, if brewers in Germany fail again and again to drive the price of a crate of beer above EUR 10 (for 10 litres of beer). But then, perhaps it’s a novel kind of cartel, aimed at dropping the average retail price of beer even further?