Pernod Ricard UK appoints Lucy Bearman as wine portfolio director

Pernod Ricard UK (PRUK) today announces the appointment of Lucy Bearman to the position of Wine Portfolio Director to strategically develop the company’s wine portfolio and deliver sustainable long-term growth within the Premium+ wine category. The UK is a key market for wine and the role has been created to ensure strong momentum is maintained, capitalising on the growth of the category which accelerated during lockdown, fuelled by the rise of at-home consumption and as more consumers enjoyed wine at home, as opposed to in pubs and bars.

Lucy will be responsible for leading best-in-class marketing campaigns for PRUK’s portfolio of wines including Campo Viejo, Brancott Estate and Jacob’s Creek, and delivering value-enhancing NPD to grow PRUK’s market share in wine. She joined PRUK in 2012 and has since held several positions within Brand Marketing, Category and Customer Development, as well as Director of Strategy, Portfolio and Insights, and holds over 20 years’ experience in the wine industry.

The new appointment comes as the wine category gained momentum over the lockdown period and experienced +24% value and +18% volume growth in the last 12 weeks¹. Recessionary behaviours such as the ‘lipstick effect’ emerged as consumers looked to treat themselves with affordable luxuries and trade up, resulting in the growth of premium wines and the average price of a bottle of wine rising to £6.22 (vs £6.10 pre-COVID)². Shoppers are also turning to their favourite, trusted brands with Campo Viejo experiencing double-digit value growth over the last six months³.

PRUK has a strong portfolio of wine brands that deliver value to the overall category. Campo Viejo Tempranillo is the No.1 red wine in the UK and the Spanish brand has a value share of 22.8%⁴, whilst Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc is the No.2 white wine in the UK and the New Zealand wine is growing +13.7%⁵ in value. Jacob’s Creek is also returning to growth as the brand has been focusing on driving distribution and expanding into the impulse sector, to encourage consumers to rediscover the UK’s most well-known Australian wine. As a result, the Jacob’s Creek Classic range saw value sales rise +41.5% in Impulse over the last 12 weeks⁶.

Commenting on the new appointment, Raja Banerji, Pernod Ricard Marketing Director, said: “Wine presents a huge opportunity and we are committed to maintaining our position as a key player in the category. Lucy’s appointment will allow us to leverage her wine expertise to reinforce our Spanish leadership position, accelerate our New Zealand portfolio and lead growth in the premium Australian category, further bolstering our already strong position in the Off-Trade. We have a robust wine portfolio that is performing well, and we expect to continue that growth trajectory as we invest further in the category through marketing campaigns and a strong pipeline of innovation.”

In her new position, Lucy will report jointly to Darryn Hakof, Pernod Ricard Winemakers Business Acceleration Director, and Raja Banerji, Pernod Ricard UK Marketing Director. She maintains her position as a member of PRUK’s Marketing Leadership team.

¹ Nielsen, Total Coverage, 12 weeks to 13.06.20

² Nielsen, Total Off-Trade, latest 12 weeks to 13.06.20 | Pre-COVID data to 29.02.20

³ Nielsen, Total Coverage, MAT to 13.06.20

⁴ Nielsen, Total Coverage, MAT to 13.06.20

⁵ Nielsen, Total Coverage, MAT to 13.06.20

⁶ Nielsen, Total Impulse, latest 12 weeks to 13.06.20

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