Pernod Ricard will report its second-quarter and half-year numbers on Thursday (14 February). Here, just-drinks takes a look at what the Paris-headquartered group has been up to in the three months to the end of December:
- In October, the company revealed it is planning to build a new malt whisky distillery in Scotland as part of expansion plans in the country.
- Ballantine’s Finest blended Scotch got a big push in November as Pernod launched a global TV campaign to try to connect with a younger audience.
- A sigh of relief for the group in November, as an eight-year old lawsuit over alleged commercial misconduct in Colombia was dismissed by New York’s district court.
- The company sought to push its Beefeater gin brand’s connection to London with the launch of an international marketing campaign.
- Good news for Pernod’s Jameson Irish Whiskey as the group reported the brand had passed the 4m-case mark in the past year, with one-quarter sold in the US.
- In December, the group’s Americas chairman & CEO made positive noises about the prospects for the premium spirits market in Brazil.
In Pernod’s Q1:
- Net sales in Q1 rose by 5% to EUR2.2bn (US$2.86bn)
- Asia/RoW delivered “moderate” growth, up by 11%
- US saw double-digit sales rise
For just-drinks’ coverage of Pernod’s Q1 results, click here.