CL LIKELY TO MAKE MORE ACQUISITIONS

Published: 23 July, 2008

By David Williams

CL World Brands, the Trinidad-based company that acquired Paragon Vintners last month, is set to stay on the acquisition path, with both wine and spirits brands possible targets, according to CEO Arnaud de Trabuc. Speaking from the company's European headquarters in Jarnac last week, de Trabuc told Harpers that the pattern of acquisitions, which has seen the group acquire the Burn Stewart Distillers business, Hine Cognac and the Bunnahabain and Black Bottle whisky brands in the last year, would continue if the brands were right. Asked about wine brands, de Trabuc said: If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said I wasn't interested, but now we are open.' On spirits he said: The reality of the spirits business today is that it is going through consolidation. [If we were to acquire] there would have to be a set. It would have to fit in with the rest of our portfolio.' De Trabuc added that Paragon would continue to operate as an independent distributor in the wake of the CL takeover, and that he did not expect any of the remaining Paragon brands to follow the Rothschild and Veuve Clicquot brands out of the business. He also confirmed that Canard-Duchne had already signed up with the company.

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