Stella Artois has confirmed its position as Britain's biggest drinks brand following a stonking Christmas performance, according to a special report in this week's issue. The Christmas bestsellers report ­ based on exclusive data from ACNielsen ­ shows that Stella's sales grew by 26% to £71.6m over the November and December period compared with the previous year. The growth ­ partly fuelled by aggressive pricing in the supermarket sector ­ was all the more spectacular because it built on an impressive performance over the millennium. Wine was also buoyant, with sales up 7% to £540.4m. Premium packaged spirits also did well and for the first time generated more sales than cider brands. - See p51 {{NEWS }}

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