Appendix 5 - Biographies of the World's Largest Multinationals in Alcoholic Beverages

Summary

This Appendix contains brief biographies of the world's largest multinationals in alcoholic beverages at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In complex cases the historical evolution is illustrated by a graph.

Allied Domecq (See Figure A5.1) Allied Breweries was founded in 1961 through the merger of three major U.K. brewers – Ind. Coope, Tetley Walker, and Ansells Brewery – to produce and distribute three brands of beer (Double Diamond, Skol, and Long Life) as well as wines and spirits, thus becoming Britain's second largest brewer. In 1968, it acquired Showerings, a wine and cider company, owner of Babycham, which had also acquired Harveys of Bristol in 1966. Since then, Allied Breweries grew rapidly, essentially through international mergers and acquisitions. Two major examples are the acquisition of Hiram Walker from Canada in 1986, and in 1994, Pedro Domecq, the leading Spanish spirits and sherry firm that also had a prominent position in South America. Over time, Allied Domecq divested its nonalcoholic beverages and beer business. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, this multinational was pursuing a strategy of concentration in the spirits and branded wines businesses. It owned a number of top spirits brands such as Ballantines, Beefeater, Courvoisier, Hiram Walker, Kahlua, Sauza, and Malibu. In 2005, Allied Domecq was acquired by Pernod Ricard. Fortune Brands bought some of Allied Domecq's brands from Pernod Ricard.