US wine group is mulling its future in Britain

A stark warning on Monday from Britain's biggest wine supplier about the Government's ruinous duty regime. Constellation Brands of America, the world's largest wine company, has laid off 50 employees here after the 8 per cent duty increase in the Pre-Budget Report and is giving warning of further job cuts unless there is a rapid change of policy.

The company, which controls Matthew Clark, the drinks distributor, sells about 25 million cases in Britain of wines such as Hardys, Nobilo and Banrock Station. But Troy Christensen, president of Constellation Europe, said: "If there's another duty increase, then the only thing you can do is reduce your local investment even further".

Christensen, who claimed the two duty rises this year had cost the company £50 million, said that in addition to futher job cuts there could be a sharp reduction in promotional investment.

In a bleak assessment, he added: "We are a global company and we tend to put investment in countries that produce the best returns. At the moment, there are a lot better opportunities elsewhere in Europe."

Trip down memory lane with old friends of Ross

I bumped into an old schoolmate of David Ross and Charles Dunstone, the Carphone Warehouse co-founders, the other evening. He reckoned that Dunstone, who was known as "stubber" because of his penchant for the odd cigarette, was "a great guy" who was well liked by everybody. As for Ross ... well, perhaps one shouldn't kick a man when he's down.

- With corporate funding for Christmas parties in short supply, news reaches me of a clever ploy by the sales team at Oriel Securities to fund last week's festive lunch. The sales desk, which boasts several racing enthusiasts, held a £20-a-head whip-round among the dozen-strong team. It then fell to salesman Richard Kirkham to take the cash and make a selection from the 12.10 at Huntingdon. I am delighted to report that a sandwich and a pint was transformed into steak and claret when 13-2 chance Circus Rose romped home to guarantee the afternoon's merriment.

- A reader has e-mailed me after my piece on Saturday about the resignation of Sir Andrew Likierman as a director of the Bank of England to chair the National Audit Office. He points out that Sir Andrew is also chairman of Applied Intellectual Capital, an incubator company that floated on AIM at 95p in January 2007 and saw its shares shoot up to 300p amid high hopes for a "clutch of exciting ideas". Alas, those ideas have come to nought and the shares have fallen to just 2and a quarter p. Sir Andrew, who is Professor of Management Practice in Accounting at the London Business School, must be pondering the merits of associating with such an outfit.

- A fascinating piece in yesterday's London Evening Standard about the banking crisis by Jim O'Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs. In early editions, he refers to "the Lehmans CEO Lloyd Blankfein". This is possibly not the best way to endear oneself to the boss.

In the running to run Whitbread

In the blue corner: Patrick Dempsey

Speculation has been gathering pace in recent weeks over who will succeed Alan Parker as chief executive of Whitbread. OK, I confess, the speculation has largely been propagated by me, though I am convinced that the Premier Inn and Costa coffee operator has definitely started doing a spot of succession planning.

Not that Parker, who is 62, is showing any sign of wanting to relinquish the reins, with some commentators reckoning that he could stay on until he's 65.

But yesterday's elevation of Patrick Dempsey, managing director of Whitbread's hotels and restaurants division, to the main board from January 1 is, to my mind, a clear signal that the process has started in earnest. While Chris Rogers, the group's well-regarded finance chief, is seen as a credible candidate, it is famously difficult for number crunchers to make the leap to chief executive in the same company.

Dempsey, who has just completed a two-month advanced management course at Harvard Business School (another hint that he is being groomed for greatness?), is an experienced leisure executive, having been chief executive of Macdonald Hotels, managing director of Forte Hotels UK and chief executive of Compass Group's Restaurant Associates unit. Looks like a shoo-in.