LESS IS MORE FOR FORTUNE BRANDS

Fortune Brands announced today they have completed the transfer of Allied Domecq’s former brands including Sauza tequila, Courvoisier cognac, and many other high-end wine and spirits labels. The new acquisition pushes Fortune Brands’ wine and spirits sales up from number 8 to number 4 behind Diageo, Pernod and Bacardi. The final payment will average $5.2 billion, about $100 million less than the company originally thought when the deal was announced in April.