Global Drinks Intel‘s strong bench of industry commentators had a lot to say about beverage alcohol in 2023. Here’s a look at the best of their work over the last 12 months.
The news that Ivan Menezes is calling time on his tenure as Diageo’s CEO brings to mind a particularly grim summer’s day in London almost eight years ago. Fast forward to today and, my, haven’t you grown!
This generation of abstainers could have disastrous consequences for the on-premise.
Media polarisation has far-reaching consequences for society. These consequences are similarly grave when ‘taking a side’ is applied to marketing.
Here it is, then: The closest thing to a ‘transformative’ deal that we can expect in global spirits. And, given the new owner’s M&A track record, maybe a guide for what’s set to shine in the years to come?
The brutal truth is consumers don’t really care what the liquid tastes like.
The on-premise is asymmetrical, attracting an audience that isn’t representative of the population at large. Also, the nature of the channel is that of an affordable treat; the mini-luxury that a week of hard toil deserves.
Beverage alcohol brand owners often ask when they should look to launch their brand in global travel retail. The answer depends on a number of factors, such as the growth of the brand’s category, how many competitor brands there are and how unique the brand is.
We appear to be in a phase of senior leadership renewal in beverage alcohol at the moment. CEO changes at Beam Suntory, Carlsberg, Diageo and Stoli Group have been announced already this year. Also joining the ranks in September was Campari Group, where Bob Kunze-Concewitz has confirmed his plans to step down in early 2024.
When Sazerac Co revised its distribution arrangement in two US states last year, replacing Republic National Distributing Co with a brace of beer specialists in Colorado and Washington, eyebrows were raised. Fast forward to this month, when the Buffalo Trace owner took the approach to a further 28 states, and the eyebrows were joined by arms and legs.
Listening to brand owners and retailers speak at various events in recent months, a number of questions have surfaced that have become vital for the global travel retail channel to answer.
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