News Briefs for November 13, 2013
November 13, 2013•Canada’s Corby Spirit & Wine, majority-owned by Pernod Ricard, has named Maxime Kouchnir vice president, marketing, effective January 1. Kouchnir replaces Jeff Agdern, who has been named SVP, Wines and Champagnes, Pernod Ricard USA. Currently Pernod USA’s vice president, marketing, vodkas, Kouchnir has been with the company for seven years. Prior to that he held marketing roles both in France and the U.S. with Danone, Scottish & Newcastle and Johnson & Johnson. In his new post, based in Toronto, Kouchnir will report to Corby president and CEO Patrick O’Driscoll.
•BevMo is set to launch a new location in Clovis, California, its 150th store. Opening November 22, the 9,500-square-foot outpost will feature thousands of wines, spirits and beers, as well as gourmet food items, cocktail mixers, glassware, bar accessories and more. The Clovis location comes on the heels of a recent BevMo opening in Upland, California, and will be joined by additional California stores in West Corvina and Rancho Santa Margarita this month. BevMo currently operates across the California, Arizona and Washington markets.
•Napa-based Blends Wine Estates has named industry veteran Michael Bartlett as executive vice president of sales for its North American division. Bartlett’s experience includes senior-level positions at Majestic Fine Wines, Jackson Family Wines, Regal Wine Company and Michael David Winery. In his new role, Bartlett will report directly to Blends president Brent Cohen. Blends’ portfolio includes Renwood and Santino wineries in California’s Amador County; Bodega Vistalba, Tomero, and Bodega Argento wineries from Mendoza, Argentina; Arido from the Maipu district of Argentina; Bodega Garzon of Uruguay; Montalcino’s Podere Brizio and Dievole from Chianti Classico.
•New York-based Castle Brands has reported a 13% net sales increase to $11.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2014, ended September 30. Growth was driven in part by the company’s Jefferson’s Bourbon and rye whiskey brand—which contributed to a 27.8% increase in whiskey revenues—as well as Impact “Hot Prospect” Gosling’s Black Seal rum and its Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer offshoot. For the six-month period, meanwhile, net sales were up 10.2% on the prior-year period to $22.1 million.
•Oregon’s Willamette Valley Vineyards posted net sales up 11% to $10 million for the nine months through September, although its third-quarter sales fell 3.6% year-on-year. Net income jumped 56% to $1 million over the nine-month period. The third-quarter slowdown was blamed on an 8% decline in sales through distributors, partially offset by a 6% increase in the winery’s retail sales.
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