The one thing these purchases all have in common is that they underpin Gruppo Campari’s own geographical strengths. The Americas are its core region accounting for almost 41% of total group sales, with the US having the lion’s share of the action that is 20.5%, followed by the Italian market on 24.7%, the rest of Europe on 24.2%, and the rest of the world (including global travel retail) on 10.2%. For the full year, thanks to the purchase of Appleton rum, the Americas posted a significant growth of 34.1% (organic +6.3%), and the rum also aided and abetted progress of 6.7% in the rest of Europe (organic +3.1%), and in the rest of the world where sales were ahead by almost 12% (organic -1.1%).   

Indeed, aside from the fact that Campari is still the centrifugal brand force and that it’s still headquartered in Italy, there’s little to remind me of the company I first knew back in the 1980s. 

Today it owns 15 plants and four wineries worldwide, has its own distribution network in some 16 countries and employs 4,000 people. All of which makes it the sixth largest player in the global spirits market. The Gruppo has advised folk to consider 2013 as “a year of transition” – but for me the transition started back in 1995.