SINGAPORE: Pernod’s Martell joins French palace for VSOP launch

Pernod Ricard is set to launch a limited edition Martell VSOP Cognac into travel retail in Singapore to support the beginning of a five-year partnership with the Royal Palace of Versailles in France.

The company said yesterday (29 November), that it has made an investment of around EUR800,000 (US$1.2m)  in "a number of activities" with the Louis XIV palace. Among the spend, initiatives involve sponsorship of the exhibition 'When Versailles Was Furnished With Silver', and the introduction of 'VSOP Chateau de Versailles Exclusive Edition' into Singapore Changi Airport's new terminal, T3, in January.

The exhibition, held inside the palace, will run until March, whilst Martell's partnership with the Royal Palace of Versailles shall extend until 2012, the company said.

The limited edition bottle, bearing the Versailles' 'Sun King' motif, will be packaged in "a gift box that opens in the shape of a golden flower".

Pernod Ricard Asia managing director Alexandre Ricard said: "Premiumisation has always existed. There's always 'better' and people always want 'better'. Passengers are trading up brands and going for more premium versions of products.

A lot of the traffic in the region is driven by the Chinese travellers, and we're still seeing strong growth from the Korean passengers. Passengers in duty free are really buoyant when it comes to exclusive limited editions. It creates a little bit of dynamism in the brands," added Ricard.

VSOP Chateau de Versailles Exclusive Edition will be available from Singapore travel retail at SG$99 ($69) per 1-litre bottle.