Campari Says Its Aperol Beverage Will Beat Imitators

Italian drinks group Campari sees plenty of room for growth from its best-selling beverage Aperol and is not worried about the threat from competitors, including a new spritz cocktail launched by LVMH's Moet Hennessy, Francesca Landini reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Campari sees its flagship brand Aperol continuing to grow by double digits.

In an interview with Reuters at the opening of the first flagship bar for Aperol in Venice, Campari Chief Executive Bob Kunze-Concewitz said the group is confident the bright orange aperitif could continue to grow by double digits over the years and attract new customers among beer drinkers.

Aperol’s average annual growth is 16.5 percent.

Kunze-Concewitz also said the group's strategy is still to expand through acquisitions and that in the medium- to long-term, the group aims to secure big deals. Campari bought Aperol in 2003 when the aperitif was drunk only in the Veneto region of Italy and its sales were less than 50 million euros ($59 million) a year.

In 18 years, Campari has developed a global brand by marketing Aperol as the main ingredient for the spritz cocktail.

The beverage currently accounts for around one-fifth of Campari's nearly 2 billion annual sales and is considered by financial analysts as the group's engine of growth, with other brands including Campari bitter and Grand Marnier liqueur recording a more volatile trend of growth.

"There is a huge opportunity still ahead of us on Aperol growth," said Kunze-Concewitz, adding that comparing data on per-capita consumption of beer and Aperol shows that the drink can win many more consumers around the world and even in Italy.

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