just-drinks authors and correspondents

Biography

A trained newspaper journalist, Richard Woodard was editor of the drinks trade magazine Wine & Spirit International from 2000 to 2005, responsible for writing, commissioning and producing a broad range of business-related content relevant to the international drinks industry.

He now works freelance and is a regular contributor to just-drinks.com, Decanter, The Spirits Business, The Drinks Business and Imbibe, among others.

Columns by Richard Woodard

Comment - Spirits (White) - A Word with Woodard

Resident columnist and spirits know-it-all Richard Woodard provides his monthly take on the latest in the global white spirits industry.

Articles by Richard Woodard

Pernod Ricard Performance Trends 2015-2019 - results data 9 October 2019

In late-August, Pernod Ricard released its full-year results for fiscal-2019. The group saw its sales in the 12 months to the end of June rise by 6% in organic terms on the year prior. Here, just-drinks picks through Pernod's performance over the past five years for the trends set to affect the group, specifically, and the global spirits category, more broadly.

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Why vodka's US woes could soon be drowned out by success elsewhere - Comment 1 October 2019

For the established vodka brands, the US has long been the outstanding market, initially driving the category's metoric growth but now accounting for much of its volumes. As the country remains key for vodka brand owners, category commentator Richard Woodard believes the rest of the world is fast catching up.

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Diageo Performance Trends 2015-2019 - results data 29 August 2019

In late-July, Diageo released its full-year results for fiscal-2019. The group saw its sales in the 12 months to the end of June rise by 6.1% in organic terms on the year-prior. Here, just-drinks picks through Diageo's performance over the past five years for the trends set to affect the group, specifically, and the global spirits category, more broadly.

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Why Diageo's Cuban rum play isn't enough to save the category - Comment 29 August 2019

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. More than a quarter of a century after Pernod Ricard signed its Havana Club joint venture with state-owned Cuba Ron Corp, Diageo has followed suit. The group's Santiago de Cuba agreement, announced earlier this month, is one of the most eye-catching spirits deals of the year - but it shouldn't distract us from the huge challenges facing the rum category, says Richard Woodard.

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Constellation Brands Performance Trends 2015-2019 - results data 12 August 2019

Earlier this year, Constellation Brands reported its results for the 12 months to the end of February. Sales in fiscal-2019 came in 7% up on the corresponding period a year earlier, when the group's topline also increased by the same percentage. Here, just-drinks considers Constellation's performance over the last five years.

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How the spirits category can make the most of less sugar - Comment 25 July 2019

As consumers demand to know more about what's in their food and drink, category commentator Richard Woodard believes the spirits industry is well-placed to capitalise on the public's cravings for less sugar.

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What does the future hold for Champagne? - Research in focus 15 July 2019

Champagne will look to overcome short-term challenges in some of its mature markets as the category continues to pursue a value-driven strategy in a growing number of emerging non-European markets around the world.

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Target value over volumes for success in Champagne - research 12 July 2019

The best strategy for growth in Champagne lies in value creation, rather than the pursuit of greater sales volumes, as the category continues to expand its global footprint and reduce reliance on its dominant home market.

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Why gin needs stricter definition rules - and fast - Comment 2 July 2019

Against a backdrop of booming sales, the gin category has succeeded in jumping on the trend bandwagon. However, spirits category commentator Richard Woodard can see a problem looming for gin - a problem that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.

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Pernod Ricard lifts lid on use of digital in market research 28 June 2019

The use of artificial intelligence can create a "revolution" in the world of market research, Pernod Ricard has forecast.