News Briefs for June 2, 2011

•Constellation Brands yesterday named Jay Wright as its chief operating officer. In this newly created role, he will report directly to president and CEO Rob Sands. Most recently serving as Constellation’s president for North America (a position Constellation has discontinued), Wright has also held the titles of president and COO for Vincor International, which was acquired by Constellation in 2006. Additionally, he has held various management positions at Molson, Nabisco, Procter & Gamble and Borden Foods Corp.

•Pernod Ricard’s Malibu brand is inviting fans to submit original video and print advertisements promoting the latest Malibu flavor, Cranberry-Cherry. Through July 18, submissions will be accepted on MalibuCranberryCherry.com, and the winning ad, as well as the fan favorite, will be announced the week of August 1. The winner will receive $20,000 and the chance for their ad to be used as part of an official campaign, while the fan favorite will be awarded $5,000. Earlier this year, Cranberry-Cherry was selected as Malibu’s next flavor through the “Malibu U Choose” campaign, in which fans voted for their favorite flavor option via Facebook.

•Benihana Inc—operator of 96 Japanese theme and sushi restaurants nationwide—has reported a year-over-year sales increase of 4.5% to $26.9 million for the second four-week period of 2011’s first quarter (April 25 to May 22). By restaurant chain, sales increased 7.9% at Benihana Teppanyaki, but declined 0.7% at RA Sushi and 2.3% at Haru. Benihana Teppanyaki represents nearly 70% of Benihana’s total restaurant sales. The overall increase marks continuing improvement for Benihana this year after a marked drop in sales during the recession.

Tagged : Benihana, Constellation Brands, Malibu, Pernod Ricard

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