Marie Brizard cooperates with competition watchdog after raids in the sector (updated)

Marie Brizard Wine and Spirits SA

11/04/2019 09:33

(Adds details; Remy Cointreau, LVMH, Pernod Ricard reaction)
    April 11 (Reuters) - Marie Brizard Wine and Spirits (MBWS)
 MBWS.PA  said on Thursday it would cooperate with France's
anti-trust authority after raids on companies in the wines and
spirits sector.
    France's anti-trust watchdog said on Wednesday it had
targeted companies suspected of possible anti-competitive
practices, not disclosing the names of those involved or the
specific rules that may have been violated.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N21S2V7
    A Remy Cointreau  RCOP.PA  spokeswoman told Reuters on
Thursday that the group had not been targeted by the action 
while LVMH  LVMH.PA  declined to comment. Pernod Ricard
 PERP.PA  had on Wednesday denied being a target.
    MBWS, which owns the Sobieski vodka and William Peel whisky
brands, said in a statement it had supplied all of the
information in its possession. It also reiterated its commitment
to respect all of the rules and regulations to which it is
subject.
    The raids did not imply the companies were guilty, the
watchdog had said. 
    MBWS, struggling to turn around its declining business, said
last month it expects its 2018 earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation to remain negative at 28 million
euros.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nFWN21C0RW
    Shares in the company, which was founded in Bordeaux in
1755, were 1.2 percent lower at 0825 GMT.

 (Reporting by Piotr Lipinski in Gdynia
Editing by Keith Weir
Editing by Keith Weir)
 ((piotr.lipinski@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 772 00 86;))