Jameson owner Pernod Ricard says it's ‘committed' to Ireland amid global review

Irish Independent

2 days ago

France's Pernod Ricard owns Irish Distillers, with Jameson being a leading global seller for the group. It also owns brands such as Absolut and Martell.
'Pernod Ricard announced a reorganisation project aimed at creating a more agile and simplified organisation aligned with our strategic objectives and the current evolution of our business,' said a spokesperson.
'Given that we have just begun this process, we are not in a position to comment any further at this stage,' they said.
The spokesperson added: 'Jameson is a strategic brand for Pernod Ricard, and we remain committed to Ireland, the Irish whiskey category and the growth of our whiskey brands on the global stage.'
Jameson looks set to retain a leading role in the company's high-profile portfolio.
Pernod Ricard told staff this week that it has launched an "internal project to create a more agile and simplified organisation".
It had already announced job cuts in China, where steep anti-dumping duties on its Martell cognac label have hit sales hard, as well as a plan to cut €1bn in costs by its 2029 financial year.
In a staff memo, chief executive Alexandre Ricard said the project, dubbed 'Tomorrow 2', was intended to "further advance the simplification of our organisation".
Mr Ricard told staff in a video that the restructuring, which includes bundling administrative tasks rather than having brands operate individually, would lead to "departures", two sources said. There were no further details about the impact on jobs.
In the presentation slides, the company said it would organise its brands into two main units, named Gold and Crystal.
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The Gold division would include champagne and brands such as Martell cognac and Jameson, while Crystal will include Havana Club, Absolut vodka and some French aperitif brands.
The company plans to implement the changes, including voluntary departures, in the last three months of 2025, the slides showed.
"These changes imply the launch of local consultation processes with our social partners and employees where necessary," Pernod Ricard said, without commenting on the number of jobs affected or the plan to group brands into two units.
Last month, the master distiller at Pernod Ricard's Irish Distillers unit, Kevin O'Gorman, said a new €250m distillery at Midleton in Co Cork won't now open until 2027. It had been expected to open this year.
Last month rival LVMH's wines and spirits division announced plans to shrink its workforce by nearly 13pc.
Pernod, Guinness maker Diageo and Remy Cointreau have also had to adjust their growth expectations as the boom in sales enjoyed after the Covid pandemic has gone into reverse.
All three companies have scrapped or reduced ambitious sales targets for the coming years. Remy and other rivals, such as Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman have also cut jobs.
Diageo, the world's largest spirits maker, also plans to cut $500m in costs and make substantial asset disposals by 2028.