Bacardi

Food & Drink Weekly, March 12, 2007

Bacardi has publicly registered its interest in buying V & S Group, the owner of Absolut vodka. In an interview with the Financial Times March 5, Bacardi chief executive Andreas Gembler said V & S and Absolut would be "a terrific fit" for the privately-owned spirits giant. "Of the few global brands that are really left to acquire, V & S--and in particular Absolut--obviously represents a jewel for a company like ours," Gembler told the newspaper.

Last week, the Swedish government tabled a motion for parliamentary approval to sell V & S, one of six state-owned companies it is looking to sell. A number of drinks companies have been named as possible buyers of V & S, including Constellation Brands, Brown-Forman, Bacardi and Pernod Ricard. Norwegian wine and spirits group Arcus, meanwhile, has confirmed it would be interested in the Nordic operations of V & S.