Anheuser-Busch InBev – maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois – is expected to cut hundreds of jobs in the UK after a memo to staff outlined "potential redundancies" across the combined group, according to a Sunday newspaper report. The e-mail is said to have listed areas where possible redundancies may occur such as all previous Anheuser-Busch UK sales and support staff, as well as a number of other groups of InBev employees. The group, based in Belgium, employs 120,000 people globally and more than 2,500 in the UK, including some staff north of the Border. The brewing behemoth was created following InBev's acquisition last month of the United Staes-based Anheuser-Busch.

Paul Walsh, chief executive of global drinks giant Diageo, remains cheeringly upbeat about the prospects for Christmas – despite the daily tales of misery from the high street – though his optimism is tempered. More on this story

Molson Coors Brewing Company and Spendrups Brewery have partnered to introduce Coors Light beer in Sweden.

Heineken has announced that it will close the Beamish & Crawford brewery in Ireland, resulting in 120 job losses.

Virgin Wines founder Rowan Gormley is back in business with a new website he has compared to an online farmers’ market for wine. Naked Wines is offering direct consumer access to winemakers across the world. In return for committing to spend as little as £5 a month with an individual producer, consumers qualify for discounts and in some cases a half-case of free wines. Gormley said: “The idea is to connect the winemaker and the wine drinker directly so you create a virtuous circle. The money goes to the winemaker, so they can invest in better products that the consumer wants to buy.”

Diageo has backed government proposals to introduce a mandatory code of conduct on drinks promotions. The move was outlined as part of a package of measures, including tougher controls on alcohol retailers, in  Queen’s Speech. In a statement, Diageo said: “Diageo believes that industry and government should work together to eradicate bad promotions, whether they are run in shops, supermarkets, clubs, bars or pubs.”

Scottish & Newcastle UK is set to take over responsibility for Murphy’s stout from Inbev UK – which has been distributing the brand since 1988, when it was the Whitbread Beer Company. The move came after S&N was acquired by Heineken, the ultimate owner of the Murphy’s brand, and means S&N will be responsible for the UK brewing, marketing and distribution rights to Murphy’s from February 2009. The company plans to work closely with Heineken Ireland to develop the brand in the UK.