IBP WINES & SPIRITS CHRONICLE
Cygnet Gin Hires New MD
Cygnet Gin has appointed
former Diageo executive Vedran
Milosevic as its new Global
Managing Director.

in manufacturing and maintenance.

Moreover, rapid changeovers enable
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32 Milosevic spent more than a
decade at Diageo, with his most
recent role two years as global
commercial director for the
company’s luxury group unit.

Cygnet Gin said, “Milosevic
brings deep commercial acumen,
strategic insight, and a passion
for luxury execution and building
culturally resonant brands.”
“We are thrilled to welcome
Vedran to our Cygnet family,” said
Chairman, Matteo Fantacchiotti.

“As we prepare for our next stage
of growth, particularly in the UK
and US, and strategically seed our
presence in global luxury cities,
knowing Vedran since many years
I am very confident his leadership,
global mindset and luxury
expertise will be instrumental
in accelerating our vision and
implementation of our plans.”
Cygnet recently launched its
gin in Dubai and Singapore and
plans to expand into US cities
in the fourth quarter. It has a
‘secondary focus’ on ‘luxury cities’
in Europe and Asia.

Founded by singer Katharine
Jenkins and artist and filmmaker
Andrew Levitas, Wales-based
Cygnet Gin has listings at UK
retailers Waitrose and Marks and
Spencer. Its products are also
available at regional Tesco and
Co-Op stores throughout Wales.

The company launched its
Cygnet 77 gin variant in April,
with an initial exclusivity period
for UK luxury department
store Harrods. The product will
enter the on-trade at Hakkasan
restaurant in London’s Mayfair
from 6 June to 10 July.

INTERNATIONAL BOTTLER & PACKER | JULY 2025



WINES & SPIRITS CHRONICLE
Italy Wine Trade Body Sounds Export Warning
Italy’s wine exporters need to focus on ‘consumer behaviour, not just on customs
data’, the country’s industry body has warned after releasing ‘worrying’ figures for
the first quarter.

Data issued by Unione Italiana Vini (UIV)
shows consumption “is falling or at best
stagnant,” said the industry body.

According to the UIV, the global market
for Italian wine was ‘in sharp contraction’
in the first quarter of the year.

The UIV said export volumes to non-
EU countries were down almost 9% in
the first three months of 2024. Exports
to those markets dipped 0.1% in value
terms, the organisation said.

Shipment volumes to the US rose 4%,
boosted by distributor efforts to import
stocks ahead of changes in US tariffs.

Excluding sales to the US, Italy’s
wine exports would have fallen almost
17% in volume terms, the UIV said.

“In the last six months we have
witnessed an apparent paradox:
Italian shipments to the United States
seemed to be holding up or even
growing in some sectors but the real
data on consumption tell a different,
much more worrying story,” said UIV
President, Lamberto Frescobaldi.

“The pre-duty rush has deceived
the markets but the situation is
different: final consumption is falling
or at best stagnant. It is therefore
essential not to confuse outputs
exports with real consumption,
because the real analysis must
focus on the behaviour of the final
consumer, not just on customs data.

The risk is a false perception of the
robustness of the market that can lead
to incorrect decisions along the entire
supply chain.”
UK Taxation “Has Made Life Very
Complicated,” says Hatch Mansfield
Duties and taxes charged by the UK government
are causing problems for the wine industry, taking
a hit on the price of goods sold in the country,
Ben Knollys, managing director at wine importer
Hatch Mansfield has said.

Knollys said, “Unfortunately the new Labour
government decided not to extend that [tax reprieve
on wine producers]. It just stopped, which has made
life very complicated.

“It has had a big impact in terms of the cost of
goods. And then you have EPR and recycling coming
in and that’s going to impact the price as well.”
The Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging
(EPR) scheme came into force in April, meaning
producers must report how much packaging they put
into the market and pay associated rates per tonnage.

In March, UK drinks associations called for the
government to address ‘significant’ issues with
Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging
(EPR) scheme, warning the scheme was ‘flawed’.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE | www.binstedgroup.com
The UIV also provided data looking
at the combined retail sales to the top
three markets for Italian wine the UK,
the US and Germany in the first quarter.

Export volumes to the UK the largest
market for wine from Italy fell 6.4% to
43.5 million litres. Germany bought
42.3 million litres in the first quarter,
down 11.8% year on year.

Italy’s wine exporters shipped 37.5
million litres to the US, a decline of 5.4%.

UIV General Secretary, Paolo
Castelletti, added, “The super premium
range from €15 a litre represents
only 2% of the volumes and 8% of
the values of our wine in the USA.

It would be dangerous to cling to a
theory of irreplaceability based on
a high positioning of our products.

Made-in-Italy exports are in fact based
on a centred quality/price ratio. A
discussion with institutions is needed
as soon as possible to trigger real
support for the sector.”
New CEO at Remy Cointreau
Rémy Cointreau has appointed Franck Marilly as its new CEO.

Marilly, whose appointment succeeds Éric Vallat, who stepped down
to pursue ‘a new professional project’.

The newly appointed CEO brings over three decades of experience from FMCG
companies including Unilever, Chanel and the Japanese group Shiseido.

Marie-Amélie de Leusse, Chairwoman of the board of directors of Rémy
Cointreau, said, “We are convinced that Marilly will bring a new dynamic
and will be able to confidently address the new challenges of the group’s
growth in a complex macroeconomic and geopolitical context.”
At Shiseido, which he joined in 2018, Marilly was the president and
CEO of the EMEA region and the global fragrance division.

According to the Remy Cointreau, Marilly will bring ‘solid experience
in international management, which is crucial for the global success of
the group, as well as his deep knowledge of its key markets’.

Commenting on his appointment, Marilly said, “Rémy Cointreau is
today recognised for its unique centures-old heritage and its portfolio
of exceptional brands. I will levearge my experience to pursue its value
strategy and support the teams in a dynamic of sustainable performance.”
In its most recent financial update, Rémy Cointreau reported an 18%
drop in annual sales on an organic basis, totalling €984.6m.

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