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☆ New Carlsberg CEO’s task: stay ahead of Heineken
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Carlberg’s (CARLb.CO) new boss may struggle to maintain its newfound fizz. The $21 billion Danish brewer revealed on Tuesday that Chief Executive Cees 't Hart will retire after eight years at the helm. The company now trades at nearly 11 times its expected EBITDA for 2023 according to Refinitiv data, a premium to arch rival Heineken (HEIN.AS). In 2022, Heineken grew revenue in its Asia-Pacific market by 70%, while Carlsberg’s sales in the region rose by 22%. If the new boss can’t keep pace, Carlsberg shareholders will face a painful hangover.

☆ Heineken blames Russia exit delay on local paperwork
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 7 (Reuters) - Heineken (HEIO.AS) on Tuesday blamed the delay in its Russia exit on local bureaucracy that it said was beyond its control, and reiterated it still planned to exit the country. Last month, a story by investigative website Follow The Money questioned whether Heineken had followed through on its March 2022 promise to leave Russia, including selling its non-Heineken international brands like Amstel. "There's no ambiguity about our promise: we will leave Russia," Heineken said in a Q&A section on its website on Monday, to which it referred in Tuesday's statement. Heineken is the third largest brewer in Russia and the local business accounts for just 2% of its global sales, the company said. Danish rival Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) said on Tuesday its chief executive Cees't Hart would retire at the end of September after seeing through the sale of its Russian business.

☆ AB InBev upbeat on 'resilient' beer, China recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AB InBev's sales and earnings declined in China due to a strict zero COVID policy that was suddenly dropped in December. In the United States, AB InBev's largest market, profit and revenue increased, largely because of price increases, although those same increases, along with harsh winter weather in December, cut into beer sales in volume terms. REUTERS/Toby Melville 1 2Brewers have raised beer prices in response to higher energy and raw materials costs, and both Heineken (HEIN.AS) and Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) have warned of reduced beer consumption in Europe because of the increases. For the whole year, core profit growth was 7.2%. AB InBev also increased its full-year dividend to a proposed 0.75 euros from 0.50 euros in each of the past two years.

☆ Bill Gates, who's 'not a big beer drinker,' just bought a $902 million stake in Heineken
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Gates bought a $902 million stake in Dutch brewery Heineken's parent company. The billionaire bought a $392 million stake in one of Mexico's largest brewers, Femsa, in 2007. He bought 6.65 million shares of the beer company directly, per the filing, and another 4.18 million shares through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Long before his Reddit post and the health study, Gates bought a $392 million stake in one of Mexico's largest brewers, Femsa, in 2007.

☆ Bill Gates buys Heineken stake, despite saying he's 'not a big beer drinker'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Microsoft founder Bill Gates reacts during a visit with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the Imperial College University, in London, Britain, February 15, 2023. Justin Tallis//Pool via REUTERSAMSTERDAM, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Bill Gates has bought 3.76% stake in Dutch drinks giant Heineken Holding NV (HEIO.AS), although the billionaire founder of Microsoft has previously said he was "not a big beer drinker." Heineken Holding owns a controlling stake in brewer Heineken NV (HEIN.AS). A separate filing also dated Feb. 17 showed FEMSA sold all 18 million shares it held in Heineken Holding. Gates purchased 10.8 million shares, worth 883 million euros ($939.87 million) at current market prices, triggering a disclosure requirement under Dutch stock market rules.

☆ Mexico's FEMSA to launch $3.5 bln share, notes offer in Heineken divestment bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Heineken, as well as an investment vehicle controlled by the Heineken family, are expected to participate in the offering, FEMSA added in a filing to Mexico's main stock exchange. Heineken has committed to repurchasing around a billion euros worth of its shares, both Heineken and FEMSA said Thursday. FEMSA, which saw its own share prices rise near 9% around midday Thursday, had announced plans to divest its stake in the world's second-largest brewer the day before. It has previously reported a 14.8% combined stake in the Heineken Group, in which the Heineken family holds just over 50%. The final prices in the share and notes offering will be determined and announced Friday, FEMSA said.

☆ Nestlé says food prices will rise further this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Food, including ice cream, will see significant price increases in 2023, CEO Alan Jope said on the same call. Unilever said price increases caused sales volumes to decline by 2.1% in 2022. Heineken, meanwhile, said it expected to sell less beer in Europe this year because of “steep” price increases related to energy costs. At the time, Tesco (TSCDF) described the company’s price increases as “unjustifiable.” Once the products were restored, prices were unchanged on Heinz’s most popular lines. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesTesco has also “fallen out with other suppliers” over price increases, its chairman John Allen recently told the BBC.

☆ Heineken: Beer consumer 'very resilient' despite pricing pressures
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHeineken: Beer consumer 'very resilient' despite pricing pressuresDolf Van Den Brink, CEO and chairman of Heineken, says demand among beer drinkers remains strong after the brewer posted a 24% rise in 2022 operating profits. However, he added that continued pricing pressures mean he remains cautious on the outlook for 2023.

☆ Heineken sees 2023 profit increase despite Europe weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Heineken alcohol free beers are seen in a refrigerator in Warsaw, Poland on 01 September, 2022. The world's second-largest brewer reported a higher-than-expected 2022 profit as beer demand recovered from the pandemic. Heineken , the world's second-largest brewer, repeated its forecast of a profit increase this year despite weakness in Europe, as it reported a higher-than-expected 2022 profit on the back of a recovery in beer drinking to pre-pandemic levels. Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink said beer sales in Europe had proven resilient, with a rise in the fourth quarter from a year earlier. "But given the price increases that will have to be taken due to the enormous increase in energy costs, particularly in Europe, we still expect declining volumes in Europe for the year 2023," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Kickoff for Super Bowl LVII is at 6:30 p.m. The Super Bowl is advertising's biggest stage, with companies jockeying for a limited supply of spots to get their products in front of millions of consumers' eyeballs. Fox said it raked in a record amount of Super Bowl ad revenue this year. Absent this year will be crypto companies. Last year, four cryptocurrency companies shelled out millions for commercial spots during the big game.

☆ The 2023 Super Bowl Ads Will Feature Booze, Betting and Jesus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

The Super Bowl ads on Sunday are poised to promote an unusual mix of alcohol brands, gambling and Jesus. The Super Bowl still regularly draws an audience of around 100 million people, making it TV’s biggest event of the year and advertising’s biggest night. Planters’ Super Bowl ad features comedians mocking Mr. Peanut. The ads are likely to strike a lighter tone than the occasionally somber messages of Super Bowl ads in recent, highly politicized years or the early pandemic, said Anjali S. Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Many Super Bowl advertisers have again released their ads well before Super Bowl Sunday to increase their chances of being seen.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ Super Bowl ads lean on stars, humor to grab attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Musician Ozzy Osbourne takes part in a Super Bowl ad for Workday, in this undated handout photo provided by Workday. Big-name celebrities are not uncommon in Super Bowl ads. A 30-second Super Bowl spot this year sold for a little over $7 million, according to a person familiar with the ad sales. “Advertisers want people talking about their brand, and not just during the 30 to 60 seconds of (Super Bowl) air time,” Rucker said. Some stars will poke fun at themselves or their careers in Super Bowl ads.

☆ 4 women execs at Meta, Pinterest, Hyundai and Heineken share the early morning routines that helped them climb the corporate ladder.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Lola Christina Alao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Insider talked to four female senior executives about their morning work routines. They all start work no later than 7:30 a.m.Two of the execs — Christine Trodella and Olabisi Boyle — prefer to take walking meetings. Insider spoke with four women who've climbed to the corporate ladder — up to senior executive roles at companies including Hyundai and Pinterest — about theirs. Christine TrodellaChristine Trodella, the director of B2B-commercial sales for Reality Labs at Meta, typically starts work between 6 and 7 a.m. "I start work between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. but wake up at 5 a.m. to give myself time to breathe," she said.

☆ Bud Light and Budweiser are getting a makeovers at this year’s Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The latter, he said, “broke through” during the Super Bowl, but “needs time and commitment” to grow. In recent years, customers have been increasingly choosing premium or Mexican lagers, putting Bud Light out of favor with some beer drinkers. Garbe said the beer is the company’s “number 1 growth engine” and is soon set to overtake Bud Light in sales. Fox, which will broadcast Super Bowl LVII, is reportedly charging $7 million for a 30-second spot during the February 12 game in Glendale, Arizona. Liquor giant Diageo (DEO) is making its Super Bowl debut this year with an ad for Crown Royal whisky.

☆ Non-alcoholic beer to continue growing in 2023, Athletic Brewing Company CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But the CEO of one of the leading non-alcoholic beer companies said that the demand for non-alcoholic brews is booming well beyond a single month. "This is the moment we've been waiting for in the category," Bill Shufelt, Athletic Brewing CEO, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box "on Wednesday. Long a sleepy category within the broader industry of beer, non-alcoholic beer has seen its growth skyrocket in recent years as bigger beer giants like AB InBev and Heineken launch new products as well as the emergence of independent brewers like Athletic Brewing. The lack of quality non-alcoholic beer options was the impetus for Shufelt, a former trader at Steve Cohen's Point72 Asset Management, to start the Connecticut-based company in 2017, which solely focuses on non-alcoholic brewing. Shufelt said that non-alcoholic beers now make up more than 2% of all beer sold at U.S. grocery stores, and at some national chain retailers, it is upwards of 8% of their beer category.

☆ Heineken CEO: We expect high double-digit input cost inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHeineken CEO: We expect high double-digit input cost inflationDolf van den Brink, CEO at Heineken, speaks to CNBC's Julianna Tatelbaum on the company's capital markets day.

☆ Fact Check-Photo of Heineken cans disguised as Pepsi is unrelated to the World Cup in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of a customs agent discovering a shipment of beer cans disguised as Pepsi has been falsely linked to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Nearly 2,000 people have reacted to a Nov. 24 Facebook post which suggests the image shows Heineken cans that were smuggled into the tournament’s host country by football fans (here). But the image can be traced back to 2015 in Saudi Arabia (see bit.ly/3ud5lZf). Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia (here). The photo is from Saudi Arabia in 2015, not the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

☆ Supreme Court agrees to hear Jack Daniel's trademark case against dog toy company
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a trademark case centered around a squeaky dog toy that's "43% Poo by Vol." The court on Monday agreed to hear the trademark dispute brought by whiskey maker Jack Daniel's against VIP Products, an Arizona-based company that sells products mimicking liquor, beer, wine and soda bottles. It features a cartoon spaniel on its front and references to Jack Daniel's Old No. In a 2020 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit sided with VIP Products, prompting Jack Daniel's to seek further relief from the Supreme Court. The court will likely hear arguments in the Jack Daniel's case early next year.

☆ Aviatrix: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In 2014, Sherry Wei, Aviatrix's CTO and founder, left Cisco to create Aviatrix on the premise that cloud networking is far different than data center networking from the perspective of an enterprise customer. Steve Mullaney, who had been CEO of software-defined networking pioneer Nicira, came out of retirement in 2019 to join Wei in her mission after he too saw the massive growth in cloud demand from enterprise companies. The Santa Clara, California-based Aviatrix provides a networking platform that companies use to manage the flow of data traffic in their cloud environment. In September 2021, the company raised $200 million in funding with growth equity firm TCV leading the round. The 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise list is powered and inspired by the members of CNBC's Technology Executive Council (TEC).

☆ Factbox: Companies count the cost of ditching Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

INDITEX (ITX.MC)Zara owner will book a provision of 216 million euros after agreeing to sell its Russia stores to UAE-based Daher Group. TRATON (8TRA.DE)Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) truck division Traton in September said disposing of some assets in Russia would cause a 550 million euro loss. CREDIT AGRICOLE (CAGR.PA)Credit Agricole provisioned more than 500 million euros related to its Russian exposure in Q1. LINDEThe world's largest industrial gases company's exit from Russia recorded impairments of $993 million from its Russia exit. SIEMENS (SIEGn.DE)The Munich-based engineering and tech firm said in May it would take a 600 million euro hit in Q2 for exiting Russia.

Quarterly revenue rose 20.5% year-on-year to 171.66 billion pesos ($8.66 billion), driven by increased sales across markets and beating the Refinitiv consensus of 163.17 billion pesos. Operating costs rose in almost all of Femsa's divisions, including a 69.4% jump in its logistics and distribution business on increased transportation and labor costs. Earnings from companies in which Femsa has controlling stakes, including Dutch beer maker Heineken (HEIN.AS), also took a hit in the quarter, Femsa said. Femsa's core earnings, or EBITDA, for the quarter rose 14.4% to 23.20 billion pesos. Revenue at Grupo Nos, Femsa's convenience store joint venture with Brazilian energy firm Raizen (RAIZ4.SA), surged 156% from the year-ago quarter.

☆ Budweiser Flows Freely, But There Are Sputters Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Carol Ryan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Having forged a reputation as a deal maker, the world’s biggest brewer is doing a better job with the brands it already owns. It has less control over rising interest rates and a restless top shareholder, however. Anheuser-Busch InBev the brewing giant behind Budweiser and Stella Artois, said Thursday that sales for the three months through September increased by 12.1% versus the comparable period of 2021. The company’s main rivals also reported healthy numbers this week: Carlsberg grew sales by 11.6%, while Heineken managed 19.8%. Although most of the brewers’ growth came from raising prices to make up for cost inflation, all three also sold more beer than a year ago.

☆ AB InBev raises 2022 outlook as beer sales accelerate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Q3 core profit up 6.5% vs market consensus 5.2%AB InBev says beer market resilientHeineken, Carlsberg voice concerns over European consumersBRUSSELS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR), the world's largest brewer, reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday as beer sales accelerated, and raised its 2022 outlook to the top-end of its previous forecast range. Third-quarter core profit - earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation - rose 6.5% on a like-for-like basis to $5.31 billion, above the 5.2% climb forecast by analysts in a company-compiled poll. The company said it now expects its core profit to rise by between 6% and 8%. EUROPEAN CONSUMER PINCHAB InBev's largest rivals, far more reliant on Europe, gave a more cautious view of the beer market. For it and Heineken, Europe represented at least 50% of their third-quarter business, against less than 15% for AB InBev.

Technology stocks (.SX8P) fell 1.8% to lead sectoral losses in Europe after their U.S. peers were dragged down by weak results from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O). The European banking index (.SX7P) fell 0.7%. read moreItaly's UniCredit (CRDI.MI) was a rare bright spot as its shares rose 3.9% after the bank raised its 2022 profit goal. "Nonetheless, we are likely to see some hesitation, with the economic implications of rising interest rates yet to be felt. read moreReporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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