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Bottles of G.H. Mumm Champagne on display at a local grocery store in Los Angeles, 23 January 2020. Credit: The Image Party / Shutterstock

Pernod Ricard is weighing up the idea of offloading Champagne brand Mumm. 

The French group and its advisers are running the rule over a possible disposal, Just Drinks understands. 

A source familiar with the matter said the deliberations centre only on the Mumm brand and do not include Perrier-Jouët, another Champagne label in the Pernod Ricard portfolio. 

Last year, Pernod Ricard, one of the world’s largest distillers, struck a deal to sell a clutch of wine assets including the Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate and Campo Viejo brands. 

At the time, the Jameson whiskey maker said the sale of the assets would help it hone in on its global spirits and Champagnes portfolio, which it said “drive the growth of its business”. 

Pernod Ricard retains a presence in wine through assets including its Provence rosé, Sainte Marguerite, and Kenwood in California. 

Last week, the company cut its forecast for its annual net sales. 

The US Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed new regulations for the information included in the labels on alcoholic drinks. 

A proposed “Alcohol Facts” label mandates including the percentage of alcohol by volume, alcohol content in fluid ounces, calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein. 

The TTB has also put forward a rule requiring the listing of major food allergens on the labels. Interested parties have until 17 April to submit comments

Until now, companies have been permitted to voluntarily include alcohol content, nutrition and allergen information on labels.

CSPI senior policy scientist Eva Greenthal said: “The proposals represent a momentous step toward ensuring consumers have access to the information they need to make informed choices, follow health guidelines, and avoid allergic reactions.”

Last month, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory recommending updates to alcoholic beverage labels to include warnings about the risks of cancer.

The US Federal Trade Commission has launched legal action against PepsiCo, accusing the company of engaging in “illegal price discrimination” within soft drinks.   

According to the FTC, the Mountain Dew maker provided “unfair pricing advantages” to a “large, big box retailer”, while increasing prices for other competing retailers and customers. The FTC did not disclose the name of the retailer in question. 

PepsiCo said its “practices are in line with industry norms, and we do not favour certain customers by offering discounts or promotional support to some customers and not others”. 

It added: “PepsiCo strongly disputes the FTC’s allegations and the partisan manner in which the suit was filed. We will vigorously present our case in court.” 

In December, the FTC also filed a lawsuit against distributor Southern Glazer’s over alleged “unlawful price discrimination”. 

Southern Glazer’s said at the time that it “strongly disputes the FTC’s allegations and will defend itself vigorously in this litigation”.

Moscow has taken control of the Russian side of a joint venture between brewing majors Anheuser-Busch InBev and Anadolu Efes.

According to statements from both brewers, the Russian government has put the local assets of the AB InBev Efes business “under temporary management”.

According to a government decree, viewed by Bloomberg and Reuters, shares in the Russian part of the joint venture have been handed over to a local group of companies called Vmeste.

Anadolu Efes and AB InBev said they would continue to work together to address the matter.

The companies had reached a new agreement in October to adjust the terms of their joint venture.

AB InBev agreed to buy Anadolu Efes’s stake in the Ukrainian side of the JV in return for its shares in the venture’s Russian business.

The Leffe brewer first revealed its plan to offload its 50% share in AB InBev Efes to Anadolu Efes in December 2023. Russia rejected the deal the following August.

Cognac export revenues slid more than 10% in 2024, primarily due to the challenges the sector is facing in China, trade-body figures show. 

Exports to China – said to be the biggest market for Cognac by value and the second-largest by volume – declined as the local economy struggled and Beijing imposed anti-dumping measures on European brandy exports. 

According to trade association the BNIC, global shipments inched up 0.4% in volume terms to 166 million bottles. 

However, the value of these exports dropped 10.6% to “nearly” €3bn ($3.09bn), the BNIC said. 

The discrepancy between volume and value was attributed to a 13.7% rise in shipments of younger Cognacs. The shipments of VSOP and XO declined by 8.6% and 26.4% respectively. 

The downturn in aged Cognacs came amid Beijing’s decision to introduce anti-dumping measures on brandy from the EU. 

In 2024, exports to China totalled 28.97m bottles, down 9.6%. Value sales decreased 23.8%.