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Pernod Ricard finalises purchase of Malfy Gin

French drinks group Pernod Ricard has completed its acquisition of super-premium Italian gin brand Malfy, which will join the firm’s independent unit The Gin Hub.

Malfy Gin will sit under Pernod Ricard’s stand-alone business The Gin Hub

In April this year, the French firm signed an agreement to buy Malfy from New York-based Biggar & Leith for an undisclosed sum.

Malfy joins Pernod’s largest gin brands – Beefeater, Plymouth and Seagram’s – in the company’s The Gin Hub. The stand-alone business which launched in September 2017, focuses on the development of Pernod Ricard’s international premium gin brands.

The purchase of Malfy will give the firm “greater portfolio breadth to drive growth in super-premium gin”.

Created in Moncalieri, Italy, by the Vergnano family, the Malfy Gin range consists of four variants: OriginaleCon LimoneCon Arancia and Gin Rosa. The collection is made using Italian ingredients such as lemons from Amalfi, Sicilian blood oranges and pink grapefruits.

The Malfy Gin range is currently available in more than 30 markets, including the US, UK and Germany.

According to IWSR 2018 volume data, flavoured gin represents more than 40% of premium gin growth. The Gin Hub said Malfy’s “distinctive and relevant brand positioning” will drive growth further due to the “universal appeal of its Italian provenance, stand-out packaging and memorable bar-call name”.

Louise Ryan, managing director of The Gin Hub, said: “Gin is booming and premiumising rapidly, with super-premium-plus gin the fastest growing segment and growing in volume by 29% per year over the past five years, driven by strong double-digit growth in more than 50 markets (IWSR 2018).

“Malfy already has strong growth momentum, and complements our existing portfolio of international brands, but what’s really exciting for us is its growth potential within existing markets and through further geographic expansion.”

Pernod Ricard confirmed the acquisition of Malfy yesterday (20 June).

In July last year, Sophie Gallois stepped down as managing director of Pernod Ricard’s Gin Hub as part of another executive reshuffle at the group.

Pernod Ricard’s 2018/19 nine-month sales climbed 6.3% to €7.18 billion (US$8.07bn) driven by Martell Cognac and Jameson Irish whiskey.

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