Jameson sales drive Pernod Ricard growth in first quarter

Continued strong sales momentum for Jameson Irish Whiskey, in key overseas markets, helped international drinks giant Pernod Ricard make a positive start to its current financial year.

The Paris-headquartered group — second only to Guinness owner Diageo in global scale — yesterday reported first-quarter sales (for the three months to the end of September) of just under €2.25bn. This marked like-for-like growth of 4% for the quarter, thus beating analyst targets of 2.9%.

The positive first-quarter showing was driven by 8% sales growth in the Americas — boosted by continued strength in the US — and solid growth of 6% in Europe.