Marie Brizard said its second quarter revenue for the Americas cluster was up 29.4%. Much of that surge came from the U.S., where the French distiller had shifted its portfolio to Sazerac Co.
“Business in the United States during the first half of the year was sustained by the initial phrase of the distribution partnership, which resulted in the building up of inventories by Sazerac, an effect that should however slow down over the second half of the year,” Marie Brizard said, adding:
“The sales performance also reflects the dynamics of the US market, whose strong growth in off-trade offset the decline observed in the on-trade and export segment, which is the consequence of Covid-19. In Brazil, on the other hand, business continued to be strongly impacted by Covid-19 in April with a very gradual recovery in May and June. This quarter saw the introduction of new COFEPP brands, Cutty Sark and Glen Moray.
In the first half of 2020, sales for the Americas cluster rose 32.3% compared to the first half of 2019.