BERMUDA. Bacardi is set to acquire Grey Goose, the fast-growing super-premium vodka.
US media reports, subsequently confirmed by The Moodie Report, said the deal was imminent. The Asian Wall Street Journal valued the acquisition at around US$2 billion. An announcement is likely on Monday.
French vodka Grey Goose has sales of around 1.8 million cases in the all-important US domestic market, accounting for about half of super-premium sales there. It was only introduced in 1997 into the US, where it is handled by Sidney Frank Importing Co.
In duty free, where it is represented in many markets by Allied Domecq Duty Free, the brand has become increasingly successful. Its striking on-shelf presence and premium price point has proved attractive to retailers in traditional vodka markets and in emergent ones such as Hong Kong.
Grey Goose is seen as a perfect fit into the Bacardi group portfolio alongside other recent acquisitions Bombay Sapphire (a super-premium gin) and Dewar’s, the biggest-selling Scotch whisky in the US. Since acquiring Dewar’s, Bacardi has successfully developed the brand’s premium status by launching a 12yo, 18yo and, soon, the ultra-premium blend, Signature.
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