Franke acquires keg business from Spartanburg Stainless Products Inc., USA

Franke Beverage Containers expands its North American operations by acquiring the beer keg production activities of Spartanburg Stainless Products, Inc., South Carolina, USA. For many years the North American keg market has been successfully served by Franke Beverage Containers through its sales office in California with keg deliveries from its European production facility in Kreuztal, Germany.

New government may consider the sale of Absolut

You know how it is with those pre-election promises: they are often broken. Still, drinks companies are hopeful that Sweden’s new Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt may own up to his words and allow the multi-billion dollar sale of Vin & Sprit (V&S), the owner of Absolut vodka, to go ahead within the next twelve months. V&S is owned by the Swedish government, which has always been steadfast in its refusal to sell.

Returns for Maltsters and Growers to Improve as Market Balance is Restored

According to MAGB (Maltsters Association of Great Britain) Chairman David Wilkes the UK has a window of opportunity to establish a sustainable supply of malt for the future. However, growers, maltsters and brewers need to work together to ensure that this happens. Delivering his Chairman’s statement at the MAGB annual lunch today, Mr. Wilkes explained the major changes to the industry which have led to a much more balanced market.

SABMiller aims at 40 percent of Polish beer market

The plan is not just to increase market share and take volume away from competitors. SABMiller also hopes to benefit from a rise in per capita consumption of beer to 90 litres from presently 82 litres. All eyes are now on Mark Bowman to reach these goals.

InBev closes Branik brewery

Once upon a time in Bohemia, people marched on May Day, Skoda automobiles were small, and managers had to agree with Soviet occupation if they wanted to keep their jobs, writes Lyle Frink from Prague. And for Prague citizens, there was Prague Breweries, a combination of three local breweries – Branik, Staropramen, and Holesovice.

Hopmarket situation

Compared to the excellent harvest last year, the calculations of the HVG are for a reduction of alpha acid quantity of almost 1000 tons in Germany. Added to that, the harvest in all other European countries was relatively weak, too. In the USA, the harvest has been good, but part of it was destroyed in a warehouse fire.

Pernod Ricard completes integration of Allied Domecq

As early as the 2006/07 financial year, Pernod Ricard will benefit from the full EUR 270 million expected synergies in structure costs. That is a year earlier than initially planned.

Beer prices to go up in nine European countries

On a request by EU Governments, the Commission proposes to increase the minimum beer tax by 31 %. Europe’s brewers are concerned that this move will directly affect consumer prices in 9 European countries, including Germany, Luxembourg or the Czech Republic, and they do not believe that it is the solution to problems identified in a previous Commission report.

InBev adjusts global management structure

Following the recent increase of AmBev’s equity interest in Quilmes Industrial S.A. (“Quinsa”) to 91.18 percent, InBev has created a sixth corporate zone that will be known as Latin America South, according to a recent corporate statement. InBev’s existing zones are Latin America (to be renamed Latin America North), North America, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Building a new brewery

In August Heineken announced that its subsidiary Heineken España, S.A. has signed an agreement for the divestment of the land and buildings of the current brewery site in Seville. As the result of the sale Heineken will realise a book gain of 329 million EUR before tax in the second half of 2006, which will be treated as an exceptional item. The amount of the book gain after tax is 279 million EUR.