by Meininger’s Wine Business International
Pernod Ricard’s consolidated net sales for the first half of it current fiscal year increased by 5.9% to € 3 713 million, compared to € 3,507 million over the same period last year, according to
the group’s most recent press release. In spite of a negative foreign exchange impact, primarily due to the loss in value of the American dollar, strong organic growth spurred the rise. The 15 strategic brands grew by 7% in volume and 13% in value.
The wine business recorded organic growth of 6% in value. Sales of the group’s three priority brands among the still wines - Jacob’s Creek, Montana and Campo Viejo - increased by a total of 9%, demonstrating the growth due to premiumisation, price increases and innovation. For Champagnes, the price increase policy has also been successful as reflected in the growth in value of Mumm (+17%) and Perrier Jouët (+7%).
Patrick Ricard, Chairman and CEO of the group stated "I could describe this first half-year as historic, given the outstanding sales dynamism; this reflects the relevance of the Pernod Ricard model, the performance of our premium brandsand our very strong geographic presence in emerging markets. These results and the very positive sales outlook for the 2nd half-year enable me to be confident for the full financial year and to revise our growth guidance upwards. We now aim for annual growth in Operating Profit from Ordinary Activities, on a like-for-like basis, of about +12%, compared to around +10% previously.”
