Pernod Ricard sales up 50%

The Romanian branch of the alcoholic spirits giant Pernod Ricard, which has annual sales of 3.5bn euros, enjoyed a growth in sales of 50% for the first nine months of the year compared with the corresponding period of last year. “The growth came from all our products, with the extremes seeing the highest growth. Sales of expensive beverages rose significantly because there are people with lots of money who make even more money; the same was true in the value-for-money category, i.e. cheaper. The middle class, which is very fragile and which has borrowed massively lately, opted for the cheaper beverages,” said Corneliu Valsan, Pernod Ricard Romania’s general manager. He did not comment on the results in nominal terms. The company generated 3 million euros in turnover in 2003. In Romania the company sells the whisky brands of Chivas Regal, 100 Pipers, Queen Anne (bottled in Romania) and Jameson, as well as Havana Club rum, Ramazzotiti Amaro bitter, Seagram’s gin and Wyborowa vodka. ZF