French drinks giant Pernod Ricard today agreed a £4.6bn (€5.7bn) deal to buy Absolut vodka maker Vin & Sprit.

The boss of British industrial conglomerate Smiths today announced his intention to leave the business after more than a decade at the helm.

SOARING sales of Magners cider in Britain have pushed up C&C profits to a record €190 million.

A €40 million Jameson Irish whiskey advertising and marketing spend is helping to maintain the brand - associated with both Dublin and Cork - as one of the fastest growing whiskies in the world.

STRONG cider sales will boost turnover 9% in the current year drinks to snacks group C&C said yesterday.

Retailers in the UK ran for cover today after a gloomy Christmas update from Waterstone’s owner HMV cast a shadow over a clutch of mid-cap firms.

Energy giant Scottish Power replaced its chief executive of the last four years with the former boss of a drinks firm today.

Investors in the London stock market were hoping for another bullish year today after a strong rally in 2005 saw the FTSE 100 Index rise 16.7% and shares outperform house prices for the first time since 1999.

The ISEQ slipped 22.79 points at 6871.27 today as many of the index’s main players posted losses.

Soft drinks group Britvic was today set for life on the stock market after announcing plans to float with an estimated value of £800m (€1.2bn).

Pernod Ricard is to retain its Montana New Zealand wine operations following Diageo’s decision not to exercise its purchase option.

C&C GROUP has lost a €12 million contract to distribute Volvic and Evian bottled water in Ireland.

Former Granada boss Sir Gerry Robinson is to spark a leadership battle at Rentokil Initial by calling on shareholders to let him run the firm.

STRONG cider sales helped push up first-half earnings at C&C Group, offsetting falling profits at its Tayto crisps division.

Drinkers swapping traditional tipples for Bulmers and Magners cider ensured drinks firm C&C Group celebrated a summer of sales and profits growth today.

IRISH Distillers’ Jameson whiskey brand is outpacing all its rivals on the world stage in terms of its current growth rate, according to figures published yesterday by the group’s parent.

British drinkers having their thirst quenched by Magners cider for the first time were today said to be behind an 8% rise in half-year revenues for maker C&C Group.

Shares in Rentokil Initial cooled today after it emerged former Granada boss Gerry Robinson was not yet ready to put forward a takeover proposal.

The problems at Rentokil Initial were laid bare today as its new boss outlined ways to reverse the latest fall in profits at the services company.

Irishman Gerry Robinson today revealed his interest in tabling a takeover offer for pest control-to-hygiene group Rentokil Initial.

SHAREHOLDERS in pest control group Rentokil Initial are rumoured to want former Granada boss Gerry Robinson to take over running the company.

Investors in beleaguered UK pest control-to-hygiene group Rentokil Initial are rumoured to want former Granada boss Gerry Robinson to take over running the company, it was reported today.

FRENCH drinks giant, Pernod Ricard, which formally took control of rival Allied Domecq on Tuesday, has reported good sales across its various regions in its first half-year.

The FTSE 100 Index extended a recent rally today to start the second half of the year on a positive footing.

Banking stocks were higher in London today as a takeover deal for US credit card firm MBNA spurred speculation of further consolidation in the sector.

Drinks giant Allied Domecq was today closer to being swallowed by rival Pernod Ricard after regulators in the United States gave the deal the green light.

DRINKS giant Pernod Ricard was given a clear run at Allied Domecq yesterday when a rival pulled out of the takeover race.

The London market held its nerve today to secure its best finish since the summer of 2002.

The FTSE 100 Index was on track to end the week at its highest level in three years today as the sky-high cost of crude boosted oil stocks.

Drinks giant Pernod Ricard was given a clear run at Allied Domecq today when a rival pulled out of the takeover race.

The FTSE 100 Index secured its highest finish for three months today as investors ignored claims of a consumer-led recession in the retail sector.

Pernod Ricard, the French drinks giant that owns the Midleton Jameson distillery, has sold off its Bushmills whiskey brand to Diageo for €298m.

Drinks giant Diageo led the London market higher today after news that Pernod Ricard’s proposed acquisition of Allied Domecq would allow it to cherry-pick key brands.

GUINNESS owner Diageo has swooped to buy Irish whiskey maker Bushmills for €295 million.

Drinks giant Diageo today backed the £7.4bn (€11bn) takeover of Allied Domecq by French rival Pernod Ricard after being allowed to cherry-pick key brands.

A further rise in the cost of oil helped the FTSE 100 Index hold on above the key 5000 barrier today.

Sugar group Tate & Lyle led the London market lower today as traders fretted over comments about its outlook.

Drinks giant Diageo today confirmed it had expressed interest in funding one of the rival companies vying to take over Allied Domecq.

BRITAIN’S Takeover Panel yesterday set a June 29 deadline for a consortium headed by Constellation Brands to make a rival offer for spirits group Allied Domecq which has already agreed to be taken over by France’s Pernod Ricard.

A US-based consortium was today given an ultimatum to bid for drinks giant Allied Domecq within the month or walk away.

Top flight shares ended the week lower than they started it after falling commodity prices reduced the value of mining stocks.

A rival to Pernod Ricard has moved closer to launching a counter-bid for drinks group Allied Domecq, it emerged today.

PERNOD RICARD, owners of Irish Distillers, have reported a better than expected 8.4% rise in first-quarter sales.