Thresher Group has allegedly rebuffed a takeover offer from its smaller rival, Wine Cellar.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Wine Cellar's owner, Maryland Securities, approached Terra Firma Capital, owners of the Thresher Group, with an offer in the region of 150 to 200 million', significantly lower than the 245 million Terra Firma paid for Thresher Group in 2000. The Daily Telegraph story reports that Terra Firma rejected the offer believing it significantly undervalues the company'.
Wine Cellar has just 100 shops, compared to Thresher Group's 2,000 plus.
Thresher Group has been busy restructuring its business under Terra Firma's control, and it now trades under three brands: Threshers, The Local and Wine Rack. It also recently snapped up 200 shops from the defunct Unwins chain.
Thresher Group declined to comment on the story.
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Screwcapped wines were strongly in evidence at this year's Salon de Vins de Loire. Hitherto, screwcaps have made little impression in the Loire, being used only by the large companies at the cheaper end of their ranges.
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Quality Drink Awards 2006 Nominations Brochure
To enter the Quality Drink Awards 2006, download the Nominations Brochure here, complete and return to awards co-ordinator Nancy Mok by 31 March 2006.
Email: nancy.mok@nexusmedia.com
Fax: 01322 616 375
Post: Nancy Mok, Quality Drink Awards, Nexus Media Communications, Media House, Azalea Drive, Swanley, Kent BR8 8HU
This item is downloadable as a PDF document both on this page and on the homepage www.harperswinespirit.com. Click on the banner on the left hand side under the navigation menu
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Diageo will unveil a mid-strength' version of Guinness stout later this year.
The new brew, which is 2.8% proof, as opposed to the regular 4.2%, will go on sale across Ireland, but there are no plans as yet to launch in the UK.
Diageo Ireland's marketing manager Paul Norris said: Guinness Mid-Strength now offers drinkers the opportunity to reduce their intake of alcohol while still enjoying the great taste of Guinness. In our consumer research, response to the product was extremely positive, with most people unable to distinguish between Guinness Draught and Guinness Mid-Strength.'
A private tasting was held at Diageo's St James's Gate HQ, where staff at The Irish Times noted that the new product was slightly thinner than the old one, but it didn't like to swear'. The newspaper also noted that a lighter version of Guinness was launched in the late 1970s: Guinness Light. The product was not a success and was dubbed the HMS Titanic of stout' by the publication.
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In the half-year to the end of December, Pernod Ricard's
sales totalled e3.26bn (about 2.25bn) - an increase of 66.7%, due, in the main, to last year's merger with Allied Domecq. Organic growth of 4.5% was better than expected, and this figure was as high as 13.2% in Asian markets, where the French group had traditionally been weak prior to the takeover of Seagram four years ago.
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Winecorp, the South African producer behind the Spier, Longridge and Dumisani brands, has entered into an agreement with Cape Coastal Vintners, a consortium of South African wine producers and investors, to form a new consolidated' company.
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Arthur Rackham Emporia (table 40)
Arthur Rackham Emporia is a second-generation wine merchant based in Guildford, with a wine-and-spirit-agency business complementing the traditional wine merchant. Over the past 10 years, it has been awarded The International Wine & Spirit Competition Trophy twice: first for the outstanding quality' of its wine and spirit list, the only time this trophy has been awarded, and in 2004 as European Spirit Buyer of the Year.
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Liz Stich, export director, Europe and overseas, at Germany's Reh Kendermann, is leaving the company after nine years. Stich will take up a new position as MD Europe, Middle East and Africa for Australian winery Cumulus Wines from 1 April.
Liz Stich said: I have spent a fantastic period with Reh Kendermann, seeing the company grow from strength to strength, and I have had the privilege of travelling to well over 30 of the 52 markets we deal with. I have also had the privilege of building up a unique team of colleagues dealing with all aspects of sales and marketing in the company.
A new appointment to the position of export director will be announced shortly.
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The Vintners' Company is organising a charity walk in Champagne over the weekend of 2-4 June.
The walk will raise money for two alcohol-abuse hostels in London. A minimum of 500 sponsorship per walker buys you supper with Krug and Taittinger, breakfast with Veuve Clicquot and pit stops with Pol Roger and Louis Roederer. For more details, contact Kate Marshall on 020 7236 1863 or catherine@vintnershall.co.uk
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Branimir Vitkovitch, head of Vitkovitch Brothers - the specialist importer of wines, spirits and liqueurs from the countries of former Yugoslavia - died, aged 84, on 22 January after a brief illness.
Vitkovitch, an officer in the 33rd British Field Artillery Division during World War II, took over the family business from his father in 1956. In 1970, Vitkovitch Brothers became a major supplier of own-label wines and, in particular, Laski Rizling.
In the 1980s, Vitkovitch directed his attentions towards sourcing good-quality red varietals from the areas of Yugoslavia that have since become known as Serbia and Montenegro.
Chairman of the Yugoslav Importers Committee during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vitkovitch was a significant force behind increased quality and consistency in Yugoslav wines.
Angela Vitkovitch has inherited her father's business and will run the company.
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A new compny called Platinum Wine claims to have designed
a Platinum Cartridge' that removes TCA from corked wines by bonding the TCA molecules on to a silica matrix'.
The matrix sits inside a disposable cartridge, which is designed to fit inside a special hand-blown decanter'. Price details are unavailable at present. Visit www.pt-wine.co.uk for more information.
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One of Gevrey's leading vignerons, Denis Mortet, sadly cut short his brilliant life last month.
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Jean-Claude Rouzaud, the head of Champagne Louis Roederer since 1979, is retiring and becoming chairman of the company. He is passing control to his son, Frdric, who becomes managing director of the group.After taking a business-management degree and then working in property, Frdric Rouzaud, 38, joined Champagne Louis Roederer in 1996, and for the past 10 years he has worked in various departments as part of his training to take over from his father.
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Sainsbury's launches its biggest ever' wine promotion next week, offering 25% off all wines from Australia and North America.
The offer runs for four weeks from 15 February.
Sainsbury's wine buyer Julian Dyer said: This is the biggest drinks promotion we've ever offered - there's something
for everyone. We've also included some amazing fine wines, and with 25% off, this really is a great opportunity to stock up on old favourites, as well as experimenting with new wines.'
An extra 5% discount is available if six or more bottles are purchased.
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The annual international Geoffrey Roberts Award, which commemorates the life of Britain's pioneer importer of fine New World wine, is now in its 11th year, and applications are being sought for the 2006 award. Full details of how to apply are at www.geoffreyrobertsaward.com. The award is open to anyone of any age and location who can convince the judges, luminaries of the world of gastronomy, that they will spend their travel bursary in a way that is likely to make a positive difference to the worlds of food, drink and/or travel. The closing date for applicants is 31 March 2006.
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The Gaymer Cider Company is to spend 24 million on promoting its new range - its biggest investment in 10 years.
The company, formed by Constellation Europe 18 months ago, owns several brands, including Blackthorn, K and Olde English, but it will spend the money on three new premium brands: Gaymer's Original, Orchard Reserve and Addlestones. The investment will be split three ways:
10m on promotions;
8m on POS material, including branded glassware
for the on-trade; and
6m on consumer marketing.
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The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has published a checklist' in order to aid its members in adopting the Social Responsibility Standards for the Production and Sale of Alcoholic Drinks in the UK.
The Standards were developed by the drinks industry in partnership with the Government and were launched in November 2005 by Home Office minister Paul Goggins MP and DCMS minister James Purnell MP.
The checklist sets out the main requirements. For producers, it covers issues such as labelling, marketing, staff training and websites; and for retailers, it covers a variety of ways for all types of retailers to reduce alcohol-related harm and disorder.
Copies of the Standards and the checklist can be downloaded from the WSTA website (www.wsta.co.uk).
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Waitrose buyer Nick Room and leading Spanish winemaker Alvaro Palacios Muro joined the ranks of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino at the 22nd investiture last week, which was attended by more than 300 members of the wine trade.
Jose Maria Sevilla, director of Wines from Spain, said: Under [Nick Room's] control, Waitrose has been a leader in identifying and pioneering lesser-known wines and regions from Spain, while establishing and maintaining an award-winning list of Sherries.'
Palacios and his family have interests in Bierzo, Priorato and Rioja. Julian Jeffs QC, president of the Orden, said: Alvaro Palacios is without a doubt one of Spain's finest winemakers.'
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Christophe Ehrhart, winemaker at Alsace producer Josmeyer, has hit out at the use of genetically modified vines.
Speaking at a lunch at London's L'Oranger restaurant, Ehrhart, who is a member of Biodyvin, an association of biodynamic wine producers, told Harpers that the whole concept of GM vines was a nonsense'.
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Maxxium UK has appointed Huw Pennell, 44, as MD with immediate effect. Pennell, formerly marketing director at Maxxium UK, has been acting MD since August 2005.
Pennell held previous marketing roles at Allied Domecq plc, Scottish & Newcastle and Rmy-Cointreau, one of Maxxium's four shareholders. He joined Maxxium UK as marketing director in 2002.
Stirling-based Pennell will report to Richard White, executive board director of Maxxium Worldwide in Amsterdam.
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