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Europe/Russia
United Kingdom | The single most important question to ask about the future of the drinks industry: are structural lifestyle changes to blame for the decline in sales or is it cyclical macroeconomic issues. So far beer and drinks industry leaders are adamant that the biggest challenges are “cyclical” – at least that’s what they stressed in their recent financial results. Now it was Nik Jhangiani’s turn, who succeeded Debra Crew as interim CEO of Diageo in July, to join the debate.
Europe/Russia
Belgium | A significant number of shares in AB-InBev's Belgian anchor holding Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) was withdrawn in 2024. A generation gap between the Belgian shareholders is part of the reason for their departure. “The younger generations no longer drink alcohol. They have issues with a brewery,” explains the journalist Wolfgang Riepl in an article for the Belgian business magazine Trends (4 September). Add to their moral concerns about alcohol the brewer’s lacklustre share price and its dependence on organic growth after decades of spectacular takeovers and you can probably find more explanations for their departure.
Europe/Russia
Austria | It must be a fun business: A group of motorsport enthusiasts, led by the Belgian industrialist family De Mevius – a major shareholder in AB-InBev – has taken over KTM Sportcar. It is a subsidiary of the motorcycle firm KTM, which produces the X-Bow sports cars. The insolvent parent company KTM was acquired by the Indian Bajaj Auto International Holdings in May.
Europe/Russia
Russia | The former Russian brewer AB-InBev-Efes, which a presidential decree put under external management by the unknown company GK Vmeste at the end of 2024, has changed its name to Napitki Vmeste (Russian for “Drinks Together”), the Russian news agency Tass reported on 1 September.
Europe/Russia
United Kingdom | Lidl is raising a glass to equality, launching Scotland’s first gender-balanced beer aisle. From 28th August, the retailer has given equal shelf space to Scottish craft beers brewed by women and women-owned breweries across all 112 Lidl stores in Scotland.
Europe/Russia
United Kingdom | Eight pubs a week ceased trading across the UK during the first half of 2025, as the industry grapples with escalating tax and labour costs. Official government statistics show 209 pubs were either demolished or repurposed for other uses. This decline has seen the total number of pubs in England and Wales, including those vacant or available to let, fall to 38,780.
Europe/Russia
Belgium | A piece of Belgian beer history is disappearing from the shelves: AB-InBev has decided to discontinue the Belle-Vue Gueuze brand. The reason is a sharp drop in demand, a spokesperson for the brewer confirmed on 25 August. In the future, only Belle-Vue Kriek will be brewed in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, a town southwest of Brussels.
Europe/Russia
United Kingdom | BrewDog’s co-founder Martin Dickie has abruptly left the Ellon-based craft brewer and pub operator, British media reported in August. He said the decision was taken for personal reasons: he now wants to spend more time with his young family.
Europe/Russia
Ireland | Only in 2022 had the Killarney Brewing & Distilling Co. expanded to become Ireland’s largest independently owned beer and whiskey producer. In July, it closed down, the latest casualty of a short-lived whisky boom.
Europe/Russia
Denmark | Carlsberg missed half-year profit and volume forecasts on 14 August and warned it did not expect the consumer environment to improve during the remainder of 2025. This sent the Danish brewer's shares down almost 7 percent in early trading, Reuters reported. The latest half-year figures by the world's third-largest brewer - behind AB-InBev and Heineken - was received with similar pessimism to those of its rivals in recent weeks with investors sending shares declining.
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BRAUWELT on tour
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BRAUWELT on tour
