Glass of bubbly costs job

Breaking out the champagne didn't just make the Danish branch chief of German budget supermarket chain Aldi tipsy, it knocked him right out of his job, reports the Danish financial daily Boersen.

Michael Thureau, who took the top job at Aldi-Denmark in 1998 and transformed the once-ailing company, was forced to step down after offering company employees a celebratory glass of champagne, in defiance of the company's anti-alcohol policy.

Thureau confirmed that he would be leaving the company but wouldn't comment on the reason for his departure.

Executives at Aldi's Danish branch, who have asked to remain anonymous, told the paper that their chief had fallen from grace after a reception at which he served champagne.