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Pernod Ricard confident in British business - note to staff

June 24, 2016 at 10:03 am EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - French spirits maker Pernod Ricard is confident of the future of its business in Britain and remains committed to growing its Scotch whiskies and gin business there despite its vote to leave the European Union, senior executives said.

Britain, where Pernod Ricard's big brands are Beefeater gin and the scotch whisky Chivas Regal, and where it employs around 1,900 people, is among the group's largest markets in Europe after France.

"This does not change our ambition in the market and for our Scotch whiskies and British gins and we will continue to invest and develop our business as we always have done," they said in a message to staff. We are confident in the future of our business in the UK and in travel retail."

The message was signed by Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and chief executive of Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard UK Managing Director Dennis O'Flynn, and Ian Williams, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Europe - the division which operates duty free outlets in airports and other travel hubs.

Chairman and CEO Alexandre Ricard added; "Rest assured that our strategy is very clear and remains unchanged, as does our ambition to grow our Scotch whiskies and our gins."

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon)

Alexandre Ricard

Alexandre Ricard is a French businessperson who has been at the helm of 6 different companies and presently is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard SA and Member-Management Board at Pernod Ricard North America SASU and Member-Management Board at Pernod Ricard Asia SAS (both are subsidiaries of Pernod Ricard SA). He is also Member-Management Board at Pernod Ricard North America SASU and Member-Management Board at Pernod Ricard Asia SAS and on the board of 8 other companies. In the past Alexandre Ricard held the position of Chief Executive Officer for Pernod Ricard Asia Duty Free Ltd., Manager for Havana Club Know-How SARL, Chief Executive Officer of Lirix SA, Chairman of Le Delos Invest III, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Irish Distillers Ltd., Director, Chief Financial & Administration Officer at Irish Distillers Group Ltd. and Member-Management Board at Société Paul Ricard SA. Mr. Ricard received a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an undergraduate degree from ESCP Europe Campus Paris and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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PERNOD RICARD	Chief Executive Officer
Société Paul Ricard SA Société Paul Ricard SA Real Estate DevelopmentFinance Société Paul Ricard SA provides wine marketing services. The company was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Six-Fours-les-Plages, France.	Founder