Champagne provides some fizz for Pernod Ricard as annual sales nudge ahead by 2%
Date£º
2015-08-28 15:35 Source£º
harpers.co.uk Author:
Nigel Huddleston Translator:
Champagne and Irish whiskey were among the main drivers of global growth for Pernod Ricard in 2014/15, though the spirits giant turned in only a modest overall sales increase of 2%. The company described the performance as ¡°solid¡±.
Formula One Mumm celebration
Mumm grew volumes by 13% and Perrier-Jouet by 11% over the previous year, while Jameson whiskey volumes were up 9%.
The Glenlivet was up 7% but another Scotch whisky in its portfolio, Chivas Regal, saw sales drop by 1%.
Absolut (0%), Havana Club (+1%) and Beefeater (+2%) saw little or no gains on the previous year.
Absolut was hit by a ¡°challenging¡± US market but grew in other territories, Pernod Ricard said.
In the UK, the top 14 brands in its portfolio increased sales by 9% with Mumm, Jameson and Absolut leading the way. Campo Viejo Rioja growth was described by the company as ¡°significant¡±.
Total group sales for the year were €8.6 billion with Asia a major driver of growth. Sales in India were ahead by 18% and China saw an improvement from last year¡¯s decline of 23% to a fall of just 2%.
Sales in Europe were reported as stable.
Chief executive officer Alexandre Ricard, said: ¡°Our full-year results are solid, delivering improving sales and profit from recurring operations in line with guidance.
¡°Our strategy has remained consistent and is delivering results.
¡°For 2015/16, despite a challenging and volatile macroeconomic environment, we aim to continue gradually improving our business performance.
¡°We will continue to support priority brands and innovations while focusing on operational excellence.¡±