France
The spirits and wine sector in France is the second largest positive contributor to the French trade balance, reaching over 15 billion euros.
With a market share value of over 22%(1), Pernod Ricard France is the leader of the spirits market, drawing on the strength of established brands like Ricard and Ballantine’s and several growth drivers like Lillet and Bumbu that ensure our relevance in response to changing tastes and trends.
Despite a general decline in alcohol consumption, emergent trends reveal a richer picture of conviviality moments. While home consumption is growing in France(2), apéritif culture still thrives with around 60% of total consumption occasions.
Ballantine’s blends tradition with modernity
Leader of the premium whisky segment in France with more than 27% market share(4), Ballantine’s remains rooted in heritage while maintaining its lead with innovations such as Ballantine’s Sweet Blend (see page 46). A new campaign was launched end of 2024 to illustrate this balance between tradition and modernity. Far from the usual distillery settings, Ballantine’s Finest is showcased in trendy cocktail bars of the contemporary Parisian scene. The social campaign, featuring real bartenders, demonstrates conclusively that authenticity is a core value of the brand; staying true meaning staying timeless, even after nearly 200 years.
RICARD IS AN ALL-YEAR BEST-SELLER
Ricard is the #1 brand in the French spirits market (in the off trade, one out of 10 bottles of spirits sold in France is a bottle of Ricard(3)). FY25 was a big year for the brand, not only did it launch its latest innovation, Ricard 4.5% (see page 54), this winter it demonstrated its year-round appeal as an iconic apéritif choice in France. Ricard 1L ranked the #1 best-selling product (all CPG categories)(3) in France over the holiday period in the off trade.
Brazil
In a dynamic premium+ spirits market that grew 12.6% versus FY24(1), fuelled by consumers’ appetite for more diverse premium experiences, Pernod Ricard Brasil not only captured this momentum but outpaced it.
This success is due to diverse factors including best-in-class synchronisation of our marketing and sales activities, along with impactful brand activations.
Key brand highlights
Beefeater brought London to the very heart of Brazilian culture when it staged several high-visibility initiatives at the world-famous Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro in 2025. Guided by insights from our internal Marketing Effectiveness tool, Matrix, and leveraging our powerful influencer network, Beefeater made a bold move: we took over the Sambadrome. These powerful activations delivered significant brand impact, reflected in strong performance metrics that added up 4.0 pt SoM vs last year.(1)
Royal Salute elevated its luxury status in FY25 through exclusive experiences and launches, blending heritage and cultural relevance to become the whisky of choice for high-net-worth individuals. The Miami Polo Edition launch exemplified this strategy. Partnering with luxury group JHSF, the event, which drew 850 VIPs and generated record media impact, resulted in 100% incremental sales vs. Royal Salute 21 Signature Blend and played a key role in establishing Royal Salute as the leading brand in the Prestige whisky category.
