World's largest spirits company Diageo ponders Polmos Jozefow takeover

Although Pernod Ricard of France is the only major spirits player so far to have placed a bid for Poland's Polmos distilleries, another vodka giant - Diageo - could soon follow suit. Diageo, which owns Smirnoff, one of the most famous vodka brands in the world, is reportedly interested in taking over Polmos Jozefow, which makes Zytnia, Poland's best-selling brand in 1999. Pernod Ricard meanwhile is aiming to take over Polmos Poznan and Polmos Bialystok. Diageo is the world leader on the spirits market, with over 20% market share, while Pernod Ricard is second with slightly over 10%. The third largest player, Allied Domecq, has not yet declared interest in the privatization of the Polish distillery sector, but does have trade links with Polmos Zielona Gora. (Prawo i Gospodarka, Dec. 30, 2000 - Jan. 1, 2001, p.2) T.J.