Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Jul 13, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Jul 13, 2004 |
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Corporate
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Announcements Allied Domecq drops IMFL plans; to focus on international portfolio Boby Kurian
Bangalore , July 12 THE world's second largest spirits company, Allied Domecq, has taken its focus off the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) sector to work on building its international brands in the country. Allied Domecq is the third global spirits major to turn its back on the IMFL business after United Distillers & Vintners (UDV) and Bacardi Martini India Ltd exited it in recent times. Mr Harish Moolchandani, Managing Director of Allied Domecq Wine & Spirits India Ltd (ADSWI), said, the company currently has no serious strategies in place for its IMFL business and was unlikely to have one in the near future. "We have discontinued the strategy and the IMFL brands that we have now will be looked upon as portfolio brands to derive cost and distribution advantages," Mr Moolchandani said. He added the company's focus was on its locally bottled scotch brand Teacher's and the imported international portfolio that include Ballentine Scotch, Beefeater Gin, Kahlua Liquer, Sauza Tequila and Tia Maria Liquer. Mr Moolchandani said Allied Domecq internationally had a portfolio of leading brands, which no premium bar in the country could afford to ignore. "We will be focused on developing the market for them in the future," he added. In 1999, ADSWI entered IMFL through extension of Old Smuggler Scotch Whisky into rum, gin and brandy. The company, in the recent past, had also talked about launching an Indian whisky through a separate brand. Old Smuggler rum and gin continue to have some presence in select markets in the north and in the west. The company, following its plans to shelve IMFL plans, has also ended its contract bottling arrangements in Maharashtra and Pondicherry and source all its brands from the owned distillery at Behror in Rajasthan. ADSWI through Teacher's, Old Smuggler and Long John brands accounts for nearly 45 per cent of the locally bottled scotch whisky market. These brands mop up about 80,000 cases annually. Mr Moolchandani said there was no immediate plan to locally bottle more of its international brands. Allied's operations in India currently employs 150 people.
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