United Spirits pips Pernod Ricard to emerge world's No 2 in volume sales

United Spirits Limited (USL), the flagship company of the UB Group, today reported annual sales of 100 million cases for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2010.

With this, United Spirits has emerged the world's second-largest spirits company by volume, dislodging Paris-based Pernod Ricard.

United Breweries, the group's beer division, also crossed sales volume of 100 million cases in the financial year 2009-10, the company said in a release.
 
Together, UB Group's alcohol-beverage businesses had a retail sales value of Rs38,200 crore in FY2010 and contributed Rs21,200 crore to the exchequer last fiscal, the release noted.
 
 "We have done extremely well, despite the economic slowdown this year.

This has been made possible through our sheer dedication and commitment to the vision of becoming the best in the business. It wasn't long ago that we were merely a 3 million case company.

We have created a new history in the world of beverage alcohol by selling 740 million cases in about a quarter of a century," said UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya.

"The Indian spirits industry today is pegged at 236 million cases and USL has a 59 per cent market share in India in the segments it operates in. We are certain that our additional sales in the next financial year will take us to the No1 position globally," he added.