AM_IAADFS12_GULF APR05.qxd 12-02-25 1:02 AM Page 186
The Edrington Group
Keeping a good thing going
Continuing on from the success of the Brugal Reservas range, at the IAADFS 2012 exhibition in Orlando the company will be showcasing Brugal 1888
After a solid 2011 that saw its portfolio gain visibility in duty free, The Edrington Group plans to maintain momentum with various new initiatives in 2012 BY RYAN WHITE
D
espite lingering economic woes in some regions of the Americas, André de Almeida, The Edrington Group’s Commercial Area Director responsible for Americas Duty Free, makes it clear that he believes “opportunities still abound in the Americas” for suppliers that are ready to stand up and truly listen to what consumers want. Of course, ambition and optimism aren’t the only things that de Almeida and The Edrington Group possess. The company owns a stable of strong and well respected brands, and it is de Almeida’s hope that the significant strides the company made in the Americas in 2011 are just the beginning of a new era for The Edrington Group’s spirits portfolio.
Building on previous success The Edrington Group has already gone a long way toward capitalizing on travelers’ tastes for premium products. The Group’s brands enjoyed double-digit growth last year across global travel retail markets, following on from similarly strong growth in 2010. Performance of the supplier’s brands was excellent across blends, malts and rum categories, asserts de Almeida.
What the future holds This year The Edrington Group will continue to offer both industry insiders and consumers alike more premium releases. Continuing on from the success of the Brugal Reservas range, at the IAADFS 2012 exhibition in Orlando the company will be showcasing Brugal 1888, a special rum matured in the same sherry oak casks as those normally reserved for The Macallan. On hand at the show will also be Brugal Blanco Especial, a smooth and premium white rum that is double distilled, triple filtered and aged for up to two years in American oak casks. “We will also have the newly packaged Cutty Sark blended whisky at the show, one of the top 10 standard blends in the world and the original easy-drinking Scotch whisky,” de Almeida says. “This brand was originally owned by our friends at Berry Bros & Rudd and under the stewardship of The Edrington Group we are aiming to make it an even bigger success. “We are also celebrating the brand through the launch of the book Cutty Sark – The Making of a Whisky Brand, edited by Ian Buxton with a top team of whisky experts and available now,” he adds. To bolster the launches The Edrington Group
“We are very much committed to the region and will look to continue to invest both time and resources in the channel.” André de Almeida, Commercial Area Director responsible for Americas Duty Free, Edrington Group
Whether it be the introduction of the Brugal Reservas range; the re-launch of classic whisky brand Cutty Sark; the Macallan Masters of Photography series with its latest release, the Albert Watson Edition; the Highland Park Vintage 1978 and Leif Eriksson editions; or the unveiling at Cannes of new premium products such as The Macallan Lalique IV 60YO, The Naked Grouse and The Black Grouse Alpha Edition, 2011 was certainly a busy year for The Edrington Group. For his part, though, de Almeida sees the evolution of the company’s portfolio last year in simple terms: “We are continuing to see the benefit of increased demand for premium and luxury products,” he notes. This fact, combined with partnering with operators that “remain focused on the quality of the shopping experience that they offer consumers,” has proven to be an unbeatable formula. 186
plans on concentrating on education, premiumization and innovation, with a full calendar of promotions in 2012 organized in cooperation with distribution partner Rémy Cointreau. IAADFS attendees can get a taste of things to come on March 12 when fifth-generation Maestro Ronero Gustavo Ortega leads the presentation of Brugal 1888 at a special event near the exhibition grounds. The Edrington Group is certainly doing its part to up ante when it comes to the spirits offering in travel retail, but de Almeida concluded by noting that strong cooperation with operators is the best way to continue making gains: “Clearly the potential for growth will also depend on the willingness of operators in the region to work in conjunction with Rémy Cointreau and The Edrington Group. We are very much committed to the region and will look to continue to invest both time and resources in the channel.” c
THE AMERICAS DUTY FREE & TRAVEL RETAILING MARCH/APRIL 2012
The newly redesigned Cutty Sark with gift box