News In Brief
Cains Brewery in Liverpool will produce the official beer for the European Capital of Culture 2008, an award given to the city.
It is the first official supplier to be signed by the Liverpool Culture Company and its beers will be available at all Culture Company events over the next three years.
Britvic floats
Soft drinks company Britvic is aiming for a London Stock Exchange listing by the end of December with a promise of business as usual if it succeeds.
The UK's second-biggest soft drinks firm maker of Tango,?R Whites, and Robinsons, among others was expected to be valued at £800m with £300m of debt.
Britvic's owners are InterContinental Hotels (47.5%), Whitbread (23.75%), Pernod Ricard (23.75%) and Pepsico (5%).
Schweppes' soft sell
Cadbury Schweppes is to sell its European soft drinks business for e1.85bn (£1.3bn) to concentrate on its faster-growing confectionery and other drinks operations, including Schweppes in the US.
The buyers are the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Lion Capital. The deal is expected to be completed early in 2006.
The business, which licenses much of its production and distribution, had sales of £653m in 2004 and a £90m pre-tax profit.
Retail rethink
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is again considering whether to refer the big four supermarkets to the Competition Commission following an appeal by the Association of Convenience Stores, which objected to the OFT's decision in August not to take the case against the retailers further.
Meanwhile, the OFT has decided not to refer Tesco's takeover of 21 former BP/Safeway petrol stations and grocery stores to the Competition Commission.
Safety call
Food Manufacture has joined forces with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to promote the 2006 Occupational Health and Safety Award scheme.
The closing date is February 28, 2006 and the awards will be presented at the NEC, Birmingham on May 10 and 11. For entry details, visit http://www.rospa.com/awards.
