Africa helps SABMiller weather sharp fall in European beer sales

October 2nd, 2009 Mexico's Femsa says it's considering beer mergerMEXICO CITY — Mexican brewer and beverage maker Femsa SAB is exploring merger possibilities involving its beer business in talks with several companies. Femsa did not say what other companies are part of the talks, but the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Femsa has held discussions with beverage companies including SABMiller PLC and Heineken NV.

August 21st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Alcohol sales in Kerala are expected to touch Rs.200 crore during this Onam season that starts Aug 26. Liquor shops in the state are well-stocked to meet the high demand.

August 5th, 2009 Euro retail sales fall 0.2 pct in JuneBRUSSELS — The European Union says retail sales in the 16 nations that use the euro fell 0.2 percent in June from a month earlier, showing that consumers are wary of spending as unemployment hits a 10-year high. Shoppers cut back spending both on daily essentials such as food, drink and tobacco and on non-food items such as clothing, electronics and medicines.

July 30th, 2009 Flat: German beer sales hit new lowBERLIN — Rainy weather, smoking bans, an aging population and a preference for more health-conscious fare have put a stout dent in the sale of beer in Germany, leaving the nation's brewers ailing, a report said Thursday. Sales of beer — a veritable staple in Germany for centuries — dropped from January to June to their lowest level since the government's Federal Statistics Office began keeping tabs on such figures in 1991.

July 28th, 2009 Truck maker Paccar falls on weak 2Q, outlookNEW YORK — A big drop in second-quarter sales and profit plus the truck maker's warning that European sales will remain weak on Tuesday weighed on shares of Paccar Inc. On Monday the Bellevue, Wash., company said that the weak economy hurt freight shipments and truck sales and contributed to its second-quarter net income plunging 92 percent to 7 cents per share.

July 10th, 2009 SABMiller to open new brewery in AngolaJOHANNESBURG — SABMiller PLC will open a new $125m brewery and soft drinks plant in the oil- and diamond-rich country of Angola, the company said Friday. The new plant will be opened in the Angolan capital Luanda in October 2009, bringing to five the number of facilities the company has in the southern African country with a joint venture partner.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - A beer festival, called the Beer on the Wye festival, in Herefordshire had to close before time, because customers drank the bar dry. The festival, which was to run until July 5, had to close after running out of beer, cider and perry on Saturday.

May 30th, 2009 LONDON - Indian-origin entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria is to stay involved with Cobra Beer as its chairman after setting up a joint venture with an American brewer Friday to save the financially troubled company, a media report said. Molson Coors acquired the brand in Britain, where Cobra Beer is sold in 6,000 restaurants, mostly Indian curry outlets, The Times reported Saturday.

May 5th, 2009 MillerCoors 1Q profit rises on higher pricesDENVER — Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller PLC said Tuesday that the first-quarter profit for their U.S.

May 5th, 2009 Molson Coors 1Q profit more than doubles to $75.7MMILWAUKEE — Molson Coors Brewing Co. said Tuesday its first-quarter profit more than doubled, though sales of its beers fell in its stronghold of Britain and stagnated in Canada.

May 1st, 2009 Earnings Preview: Molson Coors Brewing Co.MILWAUKEE — Molson Coors Brewing Co. reports earnings for the first quarter on Tuesday before the market opens.

April 30th, 2009 German beer sales down 6.8 percent on year in 1QBERLIN — German beer sales were down 6.8 percent on the year in the first quarter, with exports to other European countries showing a particularly sharp decline, according to official figures released Thursday. Germany's brewers sold 4.37 billion pints, or 2.07 billion liters, of beer from January to March, the Federal Statistical Office said.

April 15th, 2009 LONDON - A brewing company in Britain has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority that its beer ad with the slogan "Take Courage My Friend" constitutes a serious breach of rules, which say alcohol cannot be seen to promote confidence. Wells and Young's brewing company has been asked to remove the billboard posters that feature a man sitting on a sofa with a can and glass of beer beside him, and a woman standing with her back to him wearing a figure-hugging dress that had its sales label still attached.

March 31st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Unfazed by the global economic crisis, tipplers in the state will have consumed an estimated Rs.4,600 crore worth of liquor this fiscal - a record - to clock the highest ever annual sales in Kerala's history. According to a senior official of the Kerala State Beverages Corp (KSBC), the sole wholesalers of liquor and beer that is promoted by the state government, sales this fiscal are expected to touch Rs.4,600 crore by end of Tuesday - the last day this fiscal - as against Rs.3,669 crore the previous financial year.

January 15th, 2009 LONDON - Consumers from Latin America to eastern Europe have apparently resisted drowning their economic sorrows in a glass of beer, trading figures from SABMiller, the world's second-largest brewer, showed Thursday. The group's trading update for its third quarter up to the end of December showed that lager shipments in Europe dropped by one per cent as a result of the 'impacts of the global financial crisis on consumer disposable income.' The decline was led by Russia, where volumes were 22 percent down, while supplies to Romania and the Czech Republic also slowed.