FRANCE – Pernod Ricard, the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits, has added expanded its wine portfolio following the acquisition of a majority stake in French vineyard Château Sainte Marguerite.
Château Sainte Marguerite is a Côtes de Provence classified vineyard since 1955, that spreads on 75 hectares, created in 1929 on old plots dedicated to vine culture since the Roman era.
Owned by the Fayard family since 1977, the vineyard has established itself as a gold standard within the Côtes-de-Provence appellation with its Super Premium and Ultra Premium categories.
Pernod expects Château Sainte Marguerite’s wines to complete its luxury portfolio, alongside its Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes.
Jean-Pierre Fayard, founder of the family-owned winery said : “Château Sainte Marguerite is one of the 18 prestigious “cru classé” wines of Provence.
We are delighted to pass another milestone in our development, both in France and internationally, thanks to the expertise of Pernod Ricard and its incredible distribution network.”
Château Sainte Marguerite will continue to operate with its current teams led by Olivier Fayard. Pernod Ricard Deputy Managing Director Cyril Claquin, will be responsible for the integration and strategy of the brand within Pernod Ricard’s international network.
Limited edition look for Absolut debuts in UK
Earlier, Pernod Ricard unveiled the latest packaging activation for its Absolut Vodka brand in the UK in line with its annual run of sustainability-forward packaging variations.
The packaging comprises a blue bottle made using 80% recycled glass and sporting ridges in the shape of soundwaves.
According to the company, the design has been created to celebrate “the power of voices from all over the world and champion speaking up and to create a more open world.”
It will be available for a limited, albeit unspecified, time in 70cl format from selected UK retailers as well as in 1-litre bottles from Costco and Amazon.
Half-year profits jump 22%
Earlier, the drinks giant revealed that profit from current operations in the six months to 31 December jumped 22% to reach €1.998 billion (US$2.28 billion) while sales surged 17% to €5.959 billion.
Pernod Ricard attributed the 17% organic growth in sales to favourable foreign currency effects linked mainly to the strength of US Dollar and Chinese Yuan vs. Euro.
Sales grew in all regions with the Americas seeing a lift of 14% due to very dynamic growth in the region, notably USA, Brazil and travel retail.
Asia and ‘the rest-of-the-world’ was up 16% owing to excellent growth driven by China, India and Turkey while Europe saw a 21% lift that was attributed to outstanding growth across the region.
Pernod Ricard revealed that both its ‘strategic international brands’ and ‘specialty portfolio’ are driving strong price/mix.
Despite the ongoing volatile environment, Ricard expects strong sales growth for FY22 supported by continued On-Trade rebound, Off-trade resilience and a gradual travel retail recovery.
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