Pernod Ricard will release its first-quarter results on Thursday (25 October). Here, just-drinks takes a look at the highs and lows for the company in the three months to the end of September.
- On 17 August, Pernod chairman and former CEO Patrick Ricard died of a heart attack on an island off the south coast of France. The 67-year-old sat at the helm of his family’s company for 30 years, stepping down in 2008. He oversaw Pernod Ricard’s acquisitions of Seagram and Allied Domecq, as well as the purchase of Sweden’s Vin & Sprit and its Absolut vodka brand.
- In July, Pernod sold Danish aquavit brands Aalborg and Brøndums, German brand Malteserkreuz Aquavit and Danish bitter brand Gammel Dansk to Arcus-Gruppen for EUR103m (US$125.6m). The move was part of the company’s debt-reduction plan.
- Pernod took the lion’s share of ownership in a top-50 list of international spirits brands, released in August. Pernod owned ten brands on the list, including Absolut at number four, while Diageo was second with six.
- Last month Pernod announced it was considering building a new Scotch whisky distillery as part of an expansion strategy unveiled in May. “Clearly, the next stage for us – and we are starting to think about it – is to look to build a new distillery from scratch,” the CEO of Pernod’s Chivas Brothers said. On the same day, the company opened the door to future acquisitions. Details of the new distillery plan were confirmed last week.
- Pernod was the top beverage company in a Forbes list of the world’s most innovative companies. The company was 15th overall, narrowly beating off two Chinese baijiu makers in the annual survey.
