Rumours began circulating at the weekend of a possible sale after a Bloomberg News report said the company was exploring options for Guinness, as well as reviewing its investment in Moet Hennessy.

The report claimed Guinness could be valued at over $10 billion.

The world-renowned stout has been in the news of late after there were fears of a shortage of the black stuff ahead of Christmas.

In a statement, Diageo dismissed rumours of a sale, saying they had noted the recent media speculation about the brand and their stake in Moet Hennessy.

“We can confirm that we have no intention to sell either,” said the statement.

“We will next update the market with Interim results on 4^th February and we look forward to hosting our Guinness investor and analyst day on 19^th and 20^th May,” they added.

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Proving that high quality, affordable bubbles can trump the high-end heavyweights, Lidl Northern Ireland went head-to-head with the globally renowned champagne house in a taste test held in complete darkness, which revealed that 63% of Northern Ireland taste testers preferred Lidl’s own brand fizz to Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut.

Tasters also selected Lidl’s £5.39 own-brand Pinot Grigio Blush Rosé as their top choice in the rosé tasting category. It outperformed the popular Whispering Angel, which is more than twice the price*. Over half of consumers (54%) preferred Lidl’s rosé, citing its superior taste.

The taste tests were carried out at Lidl Northern Ireland’s recent Vino Sensoria event, a unique, immersive wine tasting experience, where guests were plunged into darkness to put their taste buds to the ultimate test.

More than 400 consumers attended Vino Sensoria, which took place at Belfast Exposed, in the heart of the city’s Cathedral Quarter. The event was hosted by Lidl’s Master of Wine, Richard Bampfield who took guests on a tasting journey, inviting them to sip their way through a range of Lidl’s best red, white, rosé and sparkling wines.

Vino Sensoria – which sold out shortly after tickets were released in October – aimed to challenge common wine myths and demonstrate that quality wine isn’t defined by its label or price tag.

Highlighting that the most expensive product on the shelf is not always the superior choice, Richard Bampfield said: “What Vino Sensoria has revealed is that the majority (63%) of Northern Ireland consumers actually prefer the taste of Lidl’s own brand Henry Dubois champagne to Moët, finding it well balanced, more flavoursome and of excellent quality.

“It was interesting to see how surprised people were when they learned that they were unable to tell the difference between the more expensive champagne and rosé from Lidl’s own brand.

“What was even more surprising was the revelation that Lidl’s preferred own-brand champagne costs considerably less than Moët’s price, retailing at just £21.99 – a much more affordable option, especially during the Christmas season.

“By tasting in total darkness with no distractions, tasters at Vino Sensoria were able to concentrate fully on the wine in the glass and reach a better understanding of their own tastes and palate. Our guests in Belfast left the tasting room feeling inspired, challenged and their taste buds reawakened. Hopefully it has inspired them to branch out and try some new wines at more affordable prices this Christmas with Lidl Northern Ireland.”

Other wines tested with the consumer panel included Lidl’s Pinot Gris £7.19, Gris Pays Doc Rosé £5.89 and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC £5.29.

*Price comparison (accurate as of today’s date – 02/12/24):

• Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut – £44.00 (Tesco)
• Whispering Angel – £22.00 (Sainsbury’s)

The post Lidl’s Champagne and Rosé beat market leaders in Taste Test in the Dark first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The move follows the conclusion of a civil trial, in which a woman won her claim against the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, when a jury found he had sexually assaulted her.

McGregor, from Dublin, has been ordered to pay out over £200,000 in damages. In a social media post in the days after the case concluded, McGregor said he had instructed his legal team to appeal the decision.

In the wake of the outcome of the civil trial, several retailers have said they will no longer sell alcohol products associated with the MMA fighter in their stores.

Musgrave confirmed to NR that both alcohol lines – Proper No. Twelve Whiskey and Forged Irish Stout – are no longer available to purchase in their stores across the island of Ireland.

Their store network includes SuperValu, Centra, Mace and Daybreak.

Tesco also confirmed in a statement to NR that they are “removing Proper No. 12 Whiskey from sale in Tesco stores and online”.

It is understood a number of other retail outlets are to stop stocking products linked to McGregor in their stores.

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On Tuesday 1^st August, the Alcohol Duty systems will become much simpler, taxing all alcoholic drinks based on their alcohol by volume (ABV).

This replaces the current Alcohol Duty system, which consists of four separate taxes covering beer, cider, spirits, wine and made-wine.

It will make the system fairer and responsive to new products entering the market as consumer tastes evolve.

Small producers, including pubs and restaurants, will benefit from reduced rates on qualifying products, such as draught beer and cider.

From 1^st August alcohol such as still cider, spirits and wine with an alcoholic strength of at least 3.5% but less than 8.5% will see the rate of duty per litre of alcohol in the product at £9.67; while wine between 11.5% and 14.5% will be treated as if it is 12.5% ABV for the purposes of calculating the charge to alcohol duty from 1^st August 2023 until 1^st February 2025.

‘TAX SIMPLIFICATION’

The new system will reflect the UK Government’s commitment to tax simplification, helping to foster the right conditions for businesses to prosper and the economy to grow, which is one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Gareth Davies said: “Because we left the EU we can make sure our alcohol duty system works for us.

“From next month the whole system will be simpler, the duty will reflect the strength of the drink. We will also protect pubs and brewers with our Brexit Pubs Guarantee keeping Draught Duty down and a new Small Producer Relief.”

Jonathan Athow, Director General of Customer Strategy & Tax Design, HMRC, said: “After listening to feedback from industry, economists, consumer organisations, public health groups and many business owners, the new Alcohol Duty system will be based on the founding principle of taxing alcoholic products by strength, ensuring consistency across the board for the first time.

“The new system will support the government’s public health objectives, and provide extra support to small producers, pubs and the hospitality sector.”

The new system will create six standardised alcohol duty bands across all types of alcoholic products and apply to all individuals and businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution, holding and sale of alcoholic products across the UK.

These reforms will replace and extend the existing Small Brewers Relief with Small Producer Relief. This means that all small businesses that produce any alcoholic products with an ABV of less than 8.5% will be eligible for reduced rates on qualifying products, if they produce less than 4,500 hectolitres per year.

SUPPORTING INDUSTRY

To support the hospitality industry, and recognising the vital role played by pubs in our communities, there will also be a reduced rate for draught products – known as Draught Relief. This will reduce Alcohol Duty on qualifying beer and cider by 9.2%, and by 23% on qualifying wine-based, spirits-based and other fermented products, sold in on-trade premises such as pubs and restaurants.

The reforms will mean that every pint in every pub across the UK will pay less duty than their supermarket equivalent, in line with the UK Government’s Brexit Pubs Guarantee.

To support wine producers and importers in moving to the new method of calculating duty on their products, temporary arrangements will be in place for 18 months from 1 August 2023 until 1 February 2025.

To support innovation and responsible drinking, low strength drinks below 3.5% ABV will be charged at a new lower rate of duty. In making these changes, the UK Government aims to encourage product innovation and ensure the Alcohol Duty systems works for business and consumers.

More information on the new Alcohol Duty rates and reliefs can be found on GOV.UK.

Those involved in the production of smaller quantities of alcoholic products, can check the reduced rates of duty that apply to them by using the Small Producer Relief calculator. HMRC is also running a series of live webinars throughout July 2023 and in the months ahead to further support the alcohol industry through these changes.

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It is the final in a series of changes under new laws passed by Stormont in 2021 and sees the prohibition of loyalty schemes introduced from this month.

Major retailers including Tesco and Sainsbury’s have used signage in their stores to notify customers of the changes, which no longer allows them to offer Clubcard or Nectar points on alcohol products.

The law applies to all alcohol sellers in Northern Ireland, including shops and supermarkets.

LICENSING LAW

The new law is phase five of the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, with Article 57ZB prohibiting licence holders from “operating a membership scheme which provides rewards to its members when purchasing intoxicating liquor and allows the member to redeem the rewards to reduce the price of the intoxicating liquor or receive it free of charge”.

Operating such a scheme carries a fine of up to £5000.

The Department for Communities is responsible for the policy and legislation regulating the retail sale and supply of alcoholic drinks in NI. The current law dates back to 1996 and reform was an Executive priority under the New Decade New Approach deal.

Key changes in the new law also includes the prohibition of self-service of alcohol and sales by vending machines and restrictions placed on off-sales drinks promotions.

The aim of licensing law is to “try and strike a balance between the controls which are necessary for the protection of public health and the preservation of public order, and on the other hand, individual freedom of choice and the opportunity for local businesses to meet customer’s expectations”.

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