Emperador eyes Louis Royer Cognac acquisition

Philippine drinks group Emperador has confirmed it is seeking to acquire Cognac maker Louis Royer and will make a preliminary offer on Wednesday 13 May.

Emperador has confirmed it will submit an offer to acquire French Cognac producer Louis Royer

The news comes just six months since Emperador completed its £430 million purchase of Scotch whisky business Whyte & Mackay from Diageo in November last year.

In a statement, Emperador – a subsidiary of Alliance Global Group – said the offer to Louis Royer owner Suntory “is still subject to the evaluation and final decision of the seller”.

“Emperador Inc. wishes to clarify that it has expressed interest to participate in a bidding process for the acquisition of Louis Royer SAS, a Cognac producer in France, and will submit a preliminary offer on May 13, 2015,” Dina D Inting, compliance officer and corporate information officer, Emperador, confirmed in a statement. “However, its offer is still subject to the evaluation and final decision of the seller.

“Emperador is currently debt-free and is, therefore, in a very strong financial position to further expand its business both globally and domestically.

“Finally, as previously disclosed, Emperador confirms that it expects its revenues this year to grow by 35%. We trust that we have satisfied the requirements of the Exchange.”

In July 2014, Emperador purchased 230 hectares of land next to its current vineyard Vinedos del Rio Tajo in Toledo, Spain, to increase its brandy production.