Pernod Ricard plans to set up its own branded retail outlets in India

World's second largest wine and spirits firm banks on a direct-to-consumer strategy rather than intermediaries

Pernod Ricard is looking at opening its own branded retail outlets in India to showcase its range of spirits and bringing its popular branded bar outlets here.

The world’s second largest wine and spirits company is exploring these options in order to gain direct access to customers.      

Thibault Cuny, managing director of Pernod Ricard India, said the company will invest in retail outlets, much the same way that fashion brands do. “We will have a few flagship stores so that we can give a different and better experience to customers. It is also totally feasible for us to have ‘Absolut Bars’ or ‘Jameson Irish Bars’,” he said.

Cuny says he is a firm advocate of direct interaction with the consumer. “I am a strong believer in direct-to-consumers interaction and that is why I am giving an emphasis on stores, bars and restaurants which give us direct access to consumers without intermediaries,” he said.

Pernod Ricard is also bringing its venture capital arm based in San Francisco, Convivialite Ventures, to India to explore start-up opportunities. The latter has earmarked some key areas to consider such as real life social networking, augmented home reality, and companies that are redefining the retail experience or working on ‘virtual togetherness’.    

For Pernod Ricard, the three main focus areas are women, generation Z, and millennials.

Given that the pandemic has led to more people drinking at home, the company believes there has been an accompanying shift towards better quality products rather than quantity.

Pernod Ricard is expanding its wine and gin products because they are becoming more popular as more women start drinking. Cuny says that though women account for 20 per cent of the liquor drinkers in metros, 70 per cent of them drink wine and gin.

To cater to these new customers, Pernod Ricard is finalizing the launch of its pre-mix cocktails in cans which will be produced in India, not imported. Cuny expects this to be a large market that addresses the needs of both millennials and women.

“These are segments that are going to explode in the years to come in India and we believe we have the right to play,” he said.

On another note, the company is also making a big push towards gender equality within its own four walls. One third of its top management is female and in some of its factories, 50 per cent of the employees are female. In the current recruiting, 50 per cent of the new employees are women.

Watch: Thibault Cuny on his India-strategy in an evolving alco-bev market