Austria: Coke recalls 28 million bottles

Austria | What a challenge. Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola HBC is recalling 28 million half-litre plastic bottles across a range of brands, fearing some could contain small pieces of metal after a glitch in one of its bottling plants. Reportedly, a sieve had burst during production.

AB-InBev’s third quarter volume sales disappoint

Belgium | Shares in AB-InBev came under pressure on 31 October, after the brewer posted a sharper-than-expected 3.1 percent drop in beer volumes. Total volumes fell 2.4 percent in the third quarter, dragged down mainly by a 14.2 percent slide in volumes in China.

Heineken’s third quarter revenue slightly ahead of forecasts

The Netherlands | Sometimes investors seem to be grateful for small mercies. Dutch brewer Heineken’s third-quarter sales figures beat forecasts on 23 October, buoyed by higher priced and non-alcoholic beers. The world’s number two brewer reported a 3.3 percent rise in organic net revenue year-on-year, beating analyst expectations of 3.2 percent growth.

Infected beer at Ellon brewery: BrewDog scolds staff

Scotland | Staff at BrewDog’s Ellon brewery in Aberdeenshire were read the riot act in a furious email about “sour beer” by Chris Fielden, the firm’s chief supply chain officer, after the firm had received a record number of complaints.

Diageo abandons sale of Pimm’s

United Kingdom | Is Pimm’s too much of an English thing? Drinks firm Diageo had to scrap the sale of its gin liqueur Pimm’s after failing to reach a deal with potential buyers.

United Kingdom |  Carlsberg’s UK venture, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), is planning to shutter the Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton in autumn next year. Nearly 100 employees will be affected by the closure.

Diageo trials 700 ml paper-based bottle for Johnnie Walker

United Kingdom | On 24th September, Diageo began a trial of a 90 percent paper-based bottle for Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky at its Johnnie Walker Princes Street bar in Edinburgh. The drinks firm hopes to both reduce the amount of packaging it uses and change the materials used, in order to bring down its Scope 3 emissions. 

Luxembourg | The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), on 27 September, issued her opinion that the damages claims, resulting from market abuses by Heineken’s Greek subsidiary, should be decided by a court in the Netherlands.

AB-InBev made huge loss in UK in 2023 despite price hikes

United Kingdom | The UK is a tough market, not just for craft brewers but for Big Brewers too. While Heineken UK saw its profit cut in 2023, Budweiser Brewing Group, the UK and Ireland business of AB-InBev, continued to make a substantial loss during its latest financial year despite raising its prices, UK media reported on 30 September.

Scotland hikes MUP by 30 percent to combat alcohol related harm

Scotland | The minimum unit price (MUP) at which alcohol can be sold in Scotland rose by 30 percent to GBP 0.65 (USD 0.85) on 1 October in an attempt to keep up with inflation over the past six years. MUP is not a tax to generate income for the government. Instead, it seeks to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol in shops by setting a minimum price.