Pernod Ricard wins exclusive right to privatize Wyborowa

On Tuesday, the Treasury Ministry (MST) granted the French drinks group Pernod Ricard the exclusive right to negotiate the privatization of the Poznan distillery Poznanskie Zaklady Przemyslu Spirytusowego Polmos S.A. With a market share of 20%-22%, the company is the second largest Polish alcohol producer, manufacturing the best-selling brand of Polish vodka, Wyborowa. Polmos's selling price is estimated at $100 million, according to analysts. However, Treasury spokeswoman Beata Jarosz refused to provide any details on the offer. Insiders say that exclusivity was granted to Pernod "after its unit Agros, the government and local distilleries had moved closer to settling a dispute over export rights to Polish vodka brands," reported Reuters. It should be recalled that Agros refused to share its export rights with other Polish distilleries. Although such rights were to be granted by a bill approved last year by Parliament, the President applied to the Constitutional Tribunal for the bill's revision. (Reuters, Parkiet p.1) M. S.-C.