This company profile of Pernod Ricard reveals the unethical practices of the French liquor and wine industry giant. It provides examples of harmful methods across the categories of political interference, promotion, sabotage, manipulation, and deception – the Dubious 5 strategies.
Introduction
Pernod Ricard is a French company established in 1975. This multinational alcohol corporation is the world’s second largest wine and spirits producer.
The French alcohol giant has a portfolio of over 240 brands including internationally sold brands (which accounts for 63% of the sales in 2021) like Ricard, Malibu, Chivas, Jameson, Havana Club, Absolut, Ballantine’s, Mumm and numerous other specialty and local brands.
Alexandre Ricard, one of the grandsons of the Pernod Ricard founder Paul Ricard, became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the group in 2015.
Fast Facts about Pernod Ricard in 2023
- Total net revenue: EUR 12,137 million (2023)
- Net profit: EUR 3,348 million (2023)
- Lobbying costs (US): 2,800,000 USD (2022)
- Lobbying costs (EU): 600,000 – 699,999 € (2022)
- Total alcohol volume sold: no information
- Global market share: no information
- Number of employees: 20,600
- Marketing spend: EUR 1,698 million (2022)
Pernod Ricard involvement in front groups
- The Portman Group
- International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)
- World Brewing Alliance
- World Federation of Advertisers
- FoodDrinkEurope
- European Business Summit
- Brewers of Europe
Interfering in policy and science
Pernod Ricard front groups are designed to advance long-term public relations goals to interfere in both policy and science.
UNETHICAL PRACTICES by Pernod Ricard
Political interference Big Alcohol’s Campaign Against Chicago’s Alcohol Tax: Protecting Profits and Misleading Policymakers
The recent pushback from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) against a proposed spirits tax hike in Chicago ...
Deception Health-Washing in Plain Sight: Exposing the Misleading Philippines Standards Coalition
A new initiative, the Philippines Standards Coalition, has launched to address what it calls “harmful alcohol use.” Backed by global ...
Deception Alcohol Industry’s Focus on Illicit Products Masks the Risks of Legal Alcohol
Global liquor companies are intensifying their campaign against illicit alcohol in the Philippines, citing health risks. The Alliance ...
Deception Exposing Big Alcohol’s Dangerous Promotion of the J-curve Myth
Drinkwise Sweden is promoting the misleading J-curve argument, which suggests moderate alcohol use may offer health benefits, particularly ...
Manipulation Exposing the Alcohol Industry’s Misleading Economic Claims in South Africa
The Drinks Federation of South Africa, which counts major players like Diageo, Heineken, and Pernod Ricard among its members, recently ...
Deception Alcohol Industry Pushes “Responsible Use” to Avoid Effective Policy
Panama’s recent campaign promoting “responsible drinking” is a classic example of the alcohol industry’s misleading tactics. Framed ...
BROWSE MORE UNETHICAL PRACTICES by Pernod Ricard
BIG ALCOHOL IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Whisky brands are very reliant on a small number of heavy, and increasingly ageing, consumers, to provide the majority of volume [...] in the longer term we had to attract more younger drinkers—the heavy- using loyalists of tomorrow [to avoid] the potentially disastrous implications of losing heavy drinkers”.
“If Miller Lite was to be a large profitable brand we had to attract these young heavy drinkers”.
To the extent [that laws or regulations or actions against us to substantially curtail the consumption of alcohol, including beer] gain traction, they could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. For example, the European Union published its Europe Beating Cancer Plan. As part of the plan, by the end of 2023, the European Union has indicated it will issue a proposal for mandatory health warnings on alcohol beverage product labels."
Source: Molson Coors Annual Report 2022
