Asda price

SAINSBURY’S boss Mike Coupe, some readers may recall, found himself embarrassed recently when caught singing “We’re in the money” as he prepared to give an interview to discuss his company’s proposed merger with Asda.

The episode provided some fodder for LBC radio presenter Nic Ferrari when he presented the Regional Press Awards in London on Friday.

Complimenting Asda for sponsoring one of the awards, he quipped: “They’re not in the money buy they are doing all they can!”

Beer talk

MOVING on to beer, it seems it is commonplace for drinkers to spell the name of Edinburgh brand Innis & Gunn incorrectly. Even ‘Trainspotting’ author Irvine Welsh has been getting it wrong, having recently declaring on Twitter that ‘Innes & Gunn is the best lager ever’.

Rather than getting all precious about it, Innis & Gunn has sought to turn the confusion into a marketing opportunity, and has released a batch of branded pint tumblers complete with the incorrect spelling.

Boss Dougal Sharp, pictured, explained: “Whether it’s misspelling our name or selling our glasses on eBay we’re happy as long as drinkers love our lager as much as we do.

“The #YourPint campaign is all about celebrating our fans and having a laugh along the way – which is the best thing to do over a pint!”

Celic man

IT is funny how living in the west of Scotland can often lead you to view life through an Old Firm lens, whether intentionally or not.

The Bottom Line was this week reading a news story about the cost of hiring bankers, accountants and lawyers after Brexit and found its attention pricked by comments from analyst Miles Celic of TheCityUK.

We couldn’t help but wonder whether Mr Celic had spent the weekend celebrating the ‘double treble’.

Drinks hotel

DRINKS trade veteran David Brown is looking to bow out from the industry in style, he revealed this week, as he masterminds the development of a new distillery in Leith for John Crabbie & Co.

Mr Brown, now 69, said the project offered the perfect “swansong” for a long career in the sector, which has seen him work for Belhaven, Whyte & Mackay and the Caledonian Brewery.

“The drinks trade is like the Hotel California,” he said. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

GDPR confusion

THE advent of GDPR, the regulations which will bring sweeping changes to how our personal data is held, is causing some confusion, not least in the newsroom here at The Bottom Line.

One colleague quipped that every time he hears about GDPR he thinks about East Germany. More mature readers will recall that the former country to the east of Berlin was officially known as the German Democratic Republic, or GDR.

All we can say is be careful, everyone, big data is watching you…