PERNOD GETS CLOSER TO STOLI

Pernod may be just weeks away from acquiring the Stolichnaya vodka brand, owned by Russia’s SPI Group, according to Pernod USA managing director Pierre Pringuet.

The two companies have been in talks since May after Pernod acquired distribution rights through 2010 for Stoli when it purchased Allied last year.

"We are relatively confident we will be able to acquire the ownership of Stolichnaya," Alain Barbet, president of Pernod Ricard USA, said Friday. "It will probably take a few weeks or months."

Stolichnaya is the third-most-popular vodka in the United States after Diageo's Smirnoff and Sweden owned Absolut, controlled by V&S. Pernod has also shown interest in bidding for Absolut which may or may not go for sale sometime next year.