LONDON (Brand Republic) – Cadbury is back on the acquisitions trail just two weeks after buying the Snapple brand with a plan to snap up Pernod Ricard’s Orangina soft drink for £450m.
Pernod, which is honing its portfolio to concentrate solely on alcohol brands, tried to sell Orangina to Coca-Cola last year, but the deal was blocked by the French government due to competition concerns.
The deal with Cadbury is also thought to include the Yoohoo chocolate milk and Pampryl juice drinks, as well as Orangina. Dubbed an iconic brand within the soft drinks sector because of its uniquely shaped bottle, Orangina’s main market is Europe, with the UK its second largest market after France.
Pernod will use the cash from the sale to beef up its combined offer with Diageo for the wines and spirits brands from Seagram.