Absence of US alcohol boosts Corby Q1 sales
Pernod Ricard’s Canadian affiliate, Corby Spirit and Wine, saw first-quarter (Q1) sales rise by 16% after American spirits were pulled off retail shelves.
Based in Ontario, Corby is the second largest marketer and distributor of spirits and wines in Canada. It is majority-owned by Pernod Ricard, which distributes its products in the region.
Headquartered in Toronto, Corby saw its revenue reach CA$75.4 million (US$53.8m) for the three months ending 30 September 2025.
The Q1 results presented the highest quarterly revenue for Corby in its history. It followed a full-year sales rise of 2%.
The company attributed the growth to “strong sales execution”, heightened shelf visibility for its spirits portfolio and provincial trade measures.
Corby benefited from the removal of American spirits from retail shelves across all but two Canadian provinces. The measure was implemented in March due to trade tensions between the US and Canada over tariffs.
During Q1, Corby recorded a revenue rise of 15% for domestic case goods. This was led by RTDs, higher spirits market share due to the absence of US products, and the impact of the strike by Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) workers in July last year.
Export revenue soared by 55% to CA$4.9m (US$3.5m), bolstered by strong shipment recovery to the US and the UK.
Corby’s outgoing president and CEO, Nicolas Krantz, said the group delivered a “strong start to the fiscal year, underpinned by an acceleration in market share gains in spirits and continued robust growth in RTDs”.
However, he noted that revenue was “boosted by a low comparative base and favourable order phasing”.
Krantz expects these factors, alongside the British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) public service workers strike in October, which included government-run alcohol stores, to lead to a “softer” second quarter.
“We anticipate these various puts and takes will ultimately normalise over time, with our results on a full-year basis expected to be emblematic of the continued focused execution of our market-leading strategy,” he added.
From 1 January 2026, Pernod Ricard executive Florence Tresarrieu will take over from Krantz as Corby’s new president and CEO.
Corby outperforms Canadian spirits market
The company noted that the overall spirits category in Canada fell by 0.9% in value during Q1. Meanwhile, Corby’s retail sales value rose by 5.9%.
Corby’s RTD portfolio (excluding the Nude brand) surged by 44% in value during Q1, largely due to the post-LCBO strike recovery.
The company noted this growth “significantly outpaced the overall RTD category”, which grew by 16% in value in a “landscape shaped by expanding RTD distribution points in Ontario”.
For the 12 months ending 30 September 2025, Corby’s spirits sales were up by 0.5% in value. It outperformed the wider spirits category, which dropped by 3.8%.
Over the same period, Corby’s RTD portfolio (excluding Nude) increased by 26% in value, exceeding the 13% growth recorded by the total RTD category.
Corby highlighted that its spirits portfolio outstripped the Canadian spirits market in value for 12 quarters in a row.
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