Pernod Ricard was up and running with its newly acquired Seagram brands within four days of the joint acquisition with Diageo winning approval. The US Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal on December 20 and the drinks giant said it was able to keep disruption to a minimum as the result of detailed planning ­ which included a restructure in the middle of last year ­ and the provision of more warehousing and a distributor (P&O) to handle the extra capacity. General manager Ian Totman said: "The brands came to us just before Christmas, which was not ideal, but we were able to take orders on December 24 and deliver them just after Boxing Day. He added: "The new structure allows for more people who can give the trade a better service." The extra staff will include not only traditional national account managers, but more personnel in category management and consumer marketing, Totman said. "And we have expanded customer services, so the follow-up is better. "Retailers have the right to expect more back-up in terms of information, space planning and brand development work. We could not afford the resources when we were a small company, now we are bigger we have the ability to fund it. I think we can deliver a better relationship." There are now three separate Pernod Ricard businesses in the UK. Pernod Ricard UK is the merged business of PR Brands and Caxton Wines and handles sales and marketing. Its new chairman and chief executive is Paul Duffy who has moved from Irish Distillers. Chivas Brothers will handle the company's Scotch whisky business, including that of Campbell Distillers, and has a new commercial and marketing department to reflect the priority of Scotch within the group. {{DRINKS }}

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