Pernod Ricard launches restructuring plan as spirits sales slide

By Tassilo Hummel and Emma Rumney

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) -Pernod Ricard is streamlining its business by grouping brands into two main divisions, according to internal presentation slides seen by Reuters on Wednesday, as European spirits makers grapple with a downturn in sales.

The French spirits maker told Reuters it had announced an "internal project to create a more agile and simplified organisation".

"These changes imply the launch of local consultation processes with our social partners and employees where necessary," Pernod Ricard said.

It did not comment on the number of jobs affected or the plan to group brands into two units.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Paris and Emma Rumney in LondonEditing by David Goodman)