The wine director of Pernod Ricard has quit the company as part of its plans to reduce its operational costs.
Adrian Atkinson, who joined Pernod Ricard in 2005 when the company purchased Allied Domecq, was also head of the company's new-product development.
The departure follows Pernod Ricard's announcement of "Project Allegro", which is its initiative to save $150 million over three years. They stated:
"We would like to take the opportunity to thank Adrian for his loyal service and commitment to the business and wish him the greatest success for the future."
In other news, Pernod Ricard USA has completed the acquisition of a significant majority stake in Avión Spirits LLC, owner of the ultra-premium tequila brand Avión, from its joint-venture partner Tequila Avión.
The firm will also seek to captalise on the growing popularity of imported sparkling wines in the American market; it is launching two fruit-flavored sparklers under the Café de Paris brand this month.
The Bordeaux-produced Café de Paris brand, which was established in 1967 and is marketed around the world, will initially include pomegranate and pear flavoured sparkling wines in the US. The newcomers are light in alcohol at 10% abv, and will retail at $12.99 a bottle. Pernod says the brand’s "sophisticated, Parisian personality is directly targeted to the millennial female consumer looking for a more premium option within this category."
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine by Peter Donnelly
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