Drinks

Britvic and AG Barr both posted encouraging financial results today after merger talks collapsed earlier this month

Britvic and AG Barr post strong results - separately

By Mike Stones

Former prospective merger partners Britvic and AG Barr have both posted encouraging financial results yesterday (July 25), but City analysts offered conflicting advice on their stocks.

Vimto is one of Nichols' core brands

Nichols well-oiled for corporate deals

By Rod Addy

Weight Watchers beverages brand owner Nichols’ growing profitability, resulting from slashing fizzy drinks promotions and growing still drinks market share, is freeing management to focus on corporate deals, claims one analyst.

Heineken claimed its advert was intended to be humourous fantasy, not reality

Heineken ad banned for condoning illegal drinking

By Rod Addy

Heineken was accused of condoning illegal drinking through a recent TV ad that depicted alcohol consumption within sight of a football pitch and bringing glass bottles into a football stadium.

Could AG Barr's acquisition of GSK's Lucozade and Ribena brands be the next big food and drink industry deal?

Food mergers and acquisitions hit 10-year low

By Mike Stones

Mergers and acquisitions in the UK food and drink industry hit a 10-year low at just 73 deals in the first half of this year, revealed figures from information services company Experian.

Could your food and drink business be recognised as the best of the best in UK food and drink manufacturing? Find out by entering the FMEA awards. Contact Rebecca George on 01293 610 422 or at Rebecca.george@wrbm.com

Two new awards for food manufacturing Oscars

By Mike Stones

Two new awards are to feature in the food and drink manufacturing Oscars – the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs) – this year. The new categories are the ‘Best use of food ingredients’ and ‘Supply chain initiative’.

AG Barr is reported to be preparing a bid for GlaxoSmithKline's Ribena and Lucozade soft drinks

AG Barr tight-lipped on Lucozade and Ribena deal

By Mike Stones

Irn Bru maker AG Barr is remaining tight-lipped about press reports that it is preparing a £1bn bid for GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) iconic drink brands Ribena and Lucozade, in the wake of its failed merger bid with Britvic.

Britvic said its performance under GB md Simon Litherland had 'significantly improved'

Britvic terminates AG Barr merger talks

By Rod Addy

Britvic has rejected AG Barr’s merger offer, bearing out analyst comments that it may feel it is in a stronger place today than it was a year ago.

David Heath (left) with CCE Edmonton operations director Steve Thorpe

DEFRA minister visits soft drinks giant

By Rod Addy

Coca-Cola Enterprises’ (CCE’s) Edmonton factory welcomed David Heath, minister for agriculture and food at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), on a visit showcasing sustainable manufacturing.

Britvic is apparently having second thoughts about its plans to merge with AG Barr

Britvic may renegotiate or quit AG Barr merger deal

By Mike Stones

Soft drinks firm Britvic has signalled its willingness to renegotiate the terms of its merger with business rival AG Barr or abandon the deal, after the Competition Commission issued a final approval yesterday (July 9).

Maria Sharapova was caught on camera showing off her Wimbledon Wiggle

Wimbledon Wiggle YouTube video from Evian goes viral

By Mike Stones

The celebrity Wimbledon Wiggle video – featuring tennis star Maria Sharapova and celebrities such as Jonathan Ross – from mineral water firm Evian is proving a social media hit with more than 45,000 views on YouTube.

Effective disposal of waste packaging is critical

Waste of breath?

By Laurence Gibbons

Communicating with consumers is one route to more sustainable packaging, reports Laurence Gibbons

Scotch whisky exports alone generate £4.2bn

Whisky industry swigs bitter dregs of CAP reform

By Rod Addy

The Scotch Whisky industry is threatened by Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform measures that could restrict Scottish malted barley supplies to distillers, despite changes being hailed as a food security breakthrough.

CCE believes shoppers could consume more soft drinks to help them relax or perk them up at work

Coca-Cola’s £2bn plus soft drinks target

By Rod Addy

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) can push total UK soft drinks sales past the £13bn mark by 2018 if it focuses on growth in six core consumer occasions or ‘moments’, it claims.

Food and drink manufacturers are re-evaluating green solutions in the light of rising energy costs, said SmartestEnergy

Food processors generate £32M in renewable electricity

By Rod Addy

Rising energy costs are driving food and drink manufacturers towards green solutions, with a 53% jump in the number of on-site renewable electricity projects in the sector last year, SmartestEnergy has claimed.

Many have found Starbucks' UK tax strategy hard to swallow

Starbucks quiet on G8 tax dodging deal

By Mike Stones

Coffee giant Starbucks has refused to comment on plans to tackle tax avoidance agreed by G8 leaders in Northern Ireland yesterday (June 18).

Boardman joins Moorhouse's after a decade at fellow Lancashire brewer Thwaites

Moorhouse’s appoints Thwaites man

By Laurence Gibbons

Lancashire-based brewer Moorhouse’s has appointed Mark Boardman as its new national accounts controller from Blackburn-based brewer Thwaites.

Baldry: CCE has pledged to cut calories by 5% per litre by 2014

Coca-Cola Enterprise’s holy trinity for health

By Gary Scattergood

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) will focus on reformulation, pack sizes and advertising messaging in order to meet its Public Health Responsibility Deal obligations, in a move bosses no doubt hope will stave off the lingering threat of statutory intervention.

Voting for the Personality of the Year award is now open

Top of the food chain

By Rick Pendrous, Gary Scattergood, Mike Stones

Which of the six candidates below, shortlisted by the Food Manufacture editorial team, do you think has done the most over the past year to raise the profile of the food and drink industry? You can have your say by visiting our web site at foodmanawards....

Frances said consumer recycling was crucial to helping CCE achieve its carbon footprint reduction target

Consumer recycling key to carbon footprint: CCE

By Gary Scattergood

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has launched a study with 10 British households to understand why recycling rates are so low despite people claiming they frequently recycle.

AG Barr 'outperformed a sluggish market', said Panmure Gordon

AG Barr still committed to Britvic merger

By Mike Stones

Irn-Bru manufacturer AG Barr is still committed to a merger with Britvic, according to its latest financial statement covering the 15 weeks from January 27 to May 12.

Carling workers allegedly face pay cuts of up to £9,000 a year

Carling workers in pay row demo

By Lorraine Mullaney

Employees of the Molson Coors brewery in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, will demonstrate in public tomorrow (May 25) against management’s alleged plans to cut their pay and reduce their terms and conditions of working.

Britvic's plan to cut hundreds of jobs was 'a bitter blow', said the union Unite

Britvic’s job cut plan ‘a bitter blow’: union

By Mike Stones

Soft drinks firm Britvic’s plan to cut hundreds of jobs – with the closure of two factories and a warehouse – has been slammed by the union Unite as “a bitter blow” to the workforce and the local economy.

A survey of senior risk managers revealed that less than half of respondents said they were 'good' at crisis management

Top tips on crisis management in the food industry

By Richard Barker

Do you remember when sales of Perrier Water were hit in 1990 by traces of carcinogenic benzene found in the bottles? The company had to withdraw 160M bottles worldwide at a cost of £150M and saw sales tumble for four years. Or when Heinz had to withdraw...

The soft drinks industry rose by 3.3% last year, according to the 'Refreshing the nation' report

Soft drinks industry value rises 3.3% to £15bn

By Laurence Gibbons

The value of the soft drinks industry rose by 3.3% to nearly £15bn last year, according to a new report published by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) today (May 8).

Walsh's tenure was described as 'a game of two halves' by Investec

Diageo boss to step down after 13 years

By Mike Stones

The boss of Guinness and Johnnie Walker whisky maker Diageo is to step down after 13 years at the helm, in what City analyst Investec described as “a well-flagged transition”.

Siemens recently launched its Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portal to help the uptake of automation in food and drink manufacture

Siemens’ food manufacturing to remain core focus

By Rick Pendrous

The food and beverage manufacturing sector will continue to be a core focus for German engineering giant Siemens, as news emerged that it planned to exit its water treatment solutions business.

The Scotch Whisky Association is set to appeal against the ruling

Scotch whisky group appeals against minimum alcohol price ruling

By Lorraine Mullaney

The Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA’s) legal challenge to Scottish government plans to set a minimum price for alcoholic drink has failed and the “disappointed” organisation will appeal against the judge’s decision.

EFSA found that adolescents were most likely to consume energy drinks

Energy drinks and health risks

By Gary Scattergood

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published results into consumption of energy drinks  ̶  the findings of which will be a key component of the organisation's forthcoming ruling on the health risks associated with caffeine.

Nestlé Dolce Gusto was one of Nestlé's strong performers in the UK

UK coffee sales boost Nestlé's results

By Rick Pendrous

UK coffee sales have proved one of the few highlights for food giant Nestlé in its first quarter (Q1) results for 2013, which failed to meet analysts' expectations.

Post-exercise recovery is aided

Isotonics encourage heart rate recovery

By Gary Scattergood

New research shows that consuming isotonic drinks during exercise does not significantly influence heart rate variability (HRV) during exercise - but it does promote faster recovery afterwards.

Sales increase for German machinery manufacturer

Team spirit wins sales in China

German machinery manufacturer Krones has reported winning sales of its technology for handling mineral water, soft drinks, milk, beer and edible oil. It sold more than 500 systems featuring a Contiform Bloc and an ErgoBloc L to the beverage industry by...

Diageo is reviewing it Scottish operations

Diageo to cut 80 jobs in Scotland

By Lorraine Mullaney

Diageo is planning to “take 80 roles out of the business” as it restructures its management operations in in Scotland.

The pressing tool stamped down on both the worker’s hands, Carlise Court was told

Whisky packaging firm told to pay £219k for severed fingers

By Mike Stones

The packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has been ordered to pay £219,000, after a worker lost four fingers and severed parts of two others in an accident with a whisky packaging machine at its Whitehaven factory, Cumbria on September 14 2010.

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