Campari Branching Out
Campari ceo Bob Kunze-Concewitz has big plans for the company “to double in growth every two years,” a target he admits is not easy. To meet that goal, Campari is on the prowl to acquire new brands, reports the AP.
Kunze-Concewitz has said for some time that the company is interested in purchasing some of the brands Pernod recently acquired from V&S. Although he wasn’t specific, he said he would be interested in adding gin to the company's portfolio. Plymouth gin anyone?
"We are interested in an acquisition of parts of Pernod. ... Let's give them some time to catch their breath and then see. Everyone knows we are interested," Kunze-Concewitz said in a recent interview. "We have cash, and we don't have problems acting quickly."
Over the past twelve years the Italian group has acquired brands including Skyy vodka, Cabo Wabo, Old Eight, Dreher and Drury's brands from Pernod. Campari has also sought to expand its global footprint, particularly in the U.S.
Campari has a product placement in the new “Sex and the City” movie, where Carrie will be drinking Skyy Vodka. Campari hopes it will help propel vodka sales in the U.S., where the company only has 2% of market share.
"There's a large trend toward the cocktail culture that was born in the 1990s and is continuing to grow. There is no longer a simple bartender. There's a mixologist," Kunze-Concewitz said. "This has moved to other Anglo-Saxon countries and is expanding elsewhere."
"We're experimenting with a cocktail for the United States," he continued.
NEW YORK COURT REJECTS FORTUNE’S SUIT AGAINST V&S
A New York court has thrown out a case brought by Fortune Brands against Vin & Sprit. The court ruled that V&S could go ahead and transfer its 10% stake in Beam Global to the Kingdom of Sweden. Fortune had hoped to block the transfer.
Fortune wants to buy the 10% stake from V&S, but the two companies have been unable to agree on a price.
A Stockholm district court also threw out a similar lawsuit by Fortune asking for an injunction against V&S’s plans.
Several reports speculated that the lawsuit could have complicated and delayed Pernod’s acquisition of V&S, although Pernod and the Swedish government claimed they did not foresee any problems.
GEORGIA OPENS TO DIRECT SHIPPING
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a law last week that will allow Georgians to order up to 12 cases of wine each year from any winery in the U.S. Under the state's previous regulations, residents could purchase just five cases of wine annually from Georgia wineries and could not purchase wine from any out-of-state winery that was already represented by a Georgia wholesaler or distributor. Under the new law, wineries must obtain age verification either directly from the consumer or through an age-verification system.
Georgia wholesalers and The Wine Institute were able to compromise on a bill, similar to legislation that was passed in Colorado and Illinois.
The legislation is a victory for wineries and other groups that oppose reciprocal-shipping laws and volume caps on the annual production of wineries. Wisconsin also passed a bill earlier this year that created a permit system to replace the state’s previous reciprocal shipping laws. Florida wholesalers were unable to pass a bill that would place volume caps on wineries. Similarily, Ohio is considering a bill that would raise the state’s annual production cap from 150,000 gallons to 250,000 gallons.
CRAIG WOLF ON ROBERT MONDAVI
On the subject of Robert Mondavi’s passing, WSWA ceo Craig Wolf said the following:
“Wine and spirits wholesalers in the U.S. join the rest of our industry and the entire country in mourning the loss of a trailblazer and great American success story, Robert Mondavi. Without Mr. Mondavi, there truly would not exist the fantastic appreciation this country now has for fine wine. He was the first one to preach the gospel that the best place in the world to produce wine was on American shores, right in the heart of Napa Valley. And he also was the first to envision the California lifestyle of good wine paired with good food... he was a great supporter of wholesalers and the U.S. system of beverage alcohol distribution. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.”
ONLINE TRIBUTE TO ROBERT MONDAVI
The Napa Valley Vintners Association created an online "toast" to Mondavi on its website at www.napavintners.com, inviting people to share their memories of the icon in words and pictures. Mondavi died on Friday morning (May 16), one month shy of his 95th birthday.
WSD BRIEFS:
DIAGEO TO ACQUIRE DISTILLERY FROM CONSTELLATION. Diageo said late today that it agreed to acquire the Schenley Distillery and Bottling operation in Valleyfield, Quebec from Constellation Spirits, a unit of Constellation Brands Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. Diageo expects to complete the transaction in June
INERTIA BEVERAGE GROUP HAS APPOINTED Ted Jansen, formerly of Expedia, to the position of president and ceo, starting May 20. Jansen succeeds the company’s entrepreneurial founder, Paul Mabray, who remains as Inertia’s chief strategy officer, overseeing business and product development.
BROWN-FORMAN HAS APPOINTED James O’Malley as the company’s director of corporate affairs, effective June 9, 2008. In this newly created position, O’Malley will oversee the global external activities of the company, with particular emphasis on the company’s responsibilities and rights as a beverage alcohol producer.
RESEARCHERS AT UC SAN DIEGO have found that drinking one glass of wine a day is safe for the liver and may even decrease the prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The effect was only seen with wine, not in beer or spirits, so further studies are needed to determine whether the benefits were related to the alcohol or non-alcohol components of wine.
SWEDISH SPARKLING VODKA ENTERS U.S. Camitz Sparkling Vodka, an organic Swedish brand, is being distributed in key markets (NY, Florida, Nevada and California) by Southern Wine & Spirits. It sells at a suggested retail price of $45 per 750-ml.
Until tomorrow, Megan
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.”
Raymond Lindquist
--------- Sell Day Calendar ----------
Today's Sell Day: 14
Sell days this month: 22
Sell days this month last year: 23
This month ends on a: Fri.
This month last year ended on a: Thurs.
YTD sell days Over/Under: 0
WINE & SPIRITS DAILY
Subscribe or check back issues at: www.winespiritsdaily.com
Send news and comments in confidence to: megan@winespiritsdaily.com
© 2008 Wine & Spirits Daily, all rights reserved. May quote with attribution.
Kunze-Concewitz has said for some time that the company is interested in purchasing some of the brands Pernod recently acquired from V&S. Although he wasn’t specific, he said he would be interested in adding gin to the company's portfolio. Plymouth gin anyone?
"We are interested in an acquisition of parts of Pernod. ... Let's give them some time to catch their breath and then see. Everyone knows we are interested," Kunze-Concewitz said in a recent interview. "We have cash, and we don't have problems acting quickly."
Over the past twelve years the Italian group has acquired brands including Skyy vodka, Cabo Wabo, Old Eight, Dreher and Drury's brands from Pernod. Campari has also sought to expand its global footprint, particularly in the U.S.
Campari has a product placement in the new “Sex and the City” movie, where Carrie will be drinking Skyy Vodka. Campari hopes it will help propel vodka sales in the U.S., where the company only has 2% of market share.
"There's a large trend toward the cocktail culture that was born in the 1990s and is continuing to grow. There is no longer a simple bartender. There's a mixologist," Kunze-Concewitz said. "This has moved to other Anglo-Saxon countries and is expanding elsewhere."
"We're experimenting with a cocktail for the United States," he continued.
NEW YORK COURT REJECTS FORTUNE’S SUIT AGAINST V&S
A New York court has thrown out a case brought by Fortune Brands against Vin & Sprit. The court ruled that V&S could go ahead and transfer its 10% stake in Beam Global to the Kingdom of Sweden. Fortune had hoped to block the transfer.
Fortune wants to buy the 10% stake from V&S, but the two companies have been unable to agree on a price.
A Stockholm district court also threw out a similar lawsuit by Fortune asking for an injunction against V&S’s plans.
Several reports speculated that the lawsuit could have complicated and delayed Pernod’s acquisition of V&S, although Pernod and the Swedish government claimed they did not foresee any problems.
GEORGIA OPENS TO DIRECT SHIPPING
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a law last week that will allow Georgians to order up to 12 cases of wine each year from any winery in the U.S. Under the state's previous regulations, residents could purchase just five cases of wine annually from Georgia wineries and could not purchase wine from any out-of-state winery that was already represented by a Georgia wholesaler or distributor. Under the new law, wineries must obtain age verification either directly from the consumer or through an age-verification system.
Georgia wholesalers and The Wine Institute were able to compromise on a bill, similar to legislation that was passed in Colorado and Illinois.
The legislation is a victory for wineries and other groups that oppose reciprocal-shipping laws and volume caps on the annual production of wineries. Wisconsin also passed a bill earlier this year that created a permit system to replace the state’s previous reciprocal shipping laws. Florida wholesalers were unable to pass a bill that would place volume caps on wineries. Similarily, Ohio is considering a bill that would raise the state’s annual production cap from 150,000 gallons to 250,000 gallons.
CRAIG WOLF ON ROBERT MONDAVI
On the subject of Robert Mondavi’s passing, WSWA ceo Craig Wolf said the following:
“Wine and spirits wholesalers in the U.S. join the rest of our industry and the entire country in mourning the loss of a trailblazer and great American success story, Robert Mondavi. Without Mr. Mondavi, there truly would not exist the fantastic appreciation this country now has for fine wine. He was the first one to preach the gospel that the best place in the world to produce wine was on American shores, right in the heart of Napa Valley. And he also was the first to envision the California lifestyle of good wine paired with good food... he was a great supporter of wholesalers and the U.S. system of beverage alcohol distribution. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.”
ONLINE TRIBUTE TO ROBERT MONDAVI
The Napa Valley Vintners Association created an online "toast" to Mondavi on its website at www.napavintners.com, inviting people to share their memories of the icon in words and pictures. Mondavi died on Friday morning (May 16), one month shy of his 95th birthday.
WSD BRIEFS:
DIAGEO TO ACQUIRE DISTILLERY FROM CONSTELLATION. Diageo said late today that it agreed to acquire the Schenley Distillery and Bottling operation in Valleyfield, Quebec from Constellation Spirits, a unit of Constellation Brands Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. Diageo expects to complete the transaction in June
INERTIA BEVERAGE GROUP HAS APPOINTED Ted Jansen, formerly of Expedia, to the position of president and ceo, starting May 20. Jansen succeeds the company’s entrepreneurial founder, Paul Mabray, who remains as Inertia’s chief strategy officer, overseeing business and product development.
BROWN-FORMAN HAS APPOINTED James O’Malley as the company’s director of corporate affairs, effective June 9, 2008. In this newly created position, O’Malley will oversee the global external activities of the company, with particular emphasis on the company’s responsibilities and rights as a beverage alcohol producer.
RESEARCHERS AT UC SAN DIEGO have found that drinking one glass of wine a day is safe for the liver and may even decrease the prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The effect was only seen with wine, not in beer or spirits, so further studies are needed to determine whether the benefits were related to the alcohol or non-alcohol components of wine.
SWEDISH SPARKLING VODKA ENTERS U.S. Camitz Sparkling Vodka, an organic Swedish brand, is being distributed in key markets (NY, Florida, Nevada and California) by Southern Wine & Spirits. It sells at a suggested retail price of $45 per 750-ml.
Until tomorrow, Megan
“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.”
Raymond Lindquist
--------- Sell Day Calendar ----------
Today's Sell Day: 14
Sell days this month: 22
Sell days this month last year: 23
This month ends on a: Fri.
This month last year ended on a: Thurs.
YTD sell days Over/Under: 0
WINE & SPIRITS DAILY
Subscribe or check back issues at: www.winespiritsdaily.com
Send news and comments in confidence to: megan@winespiritsdaily.com
© 2008 Wine & Spirits Daily, all rights reserved. May quote with attribution.
posted at 3:38 PM
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