Pernod Ricard, the French drinks group, has announced that it had succeeded in raising Eu1.04bn (£9.2bn) through a discounted rights issue it launched in mid-April.
The company said that an offer of 38,786,220 shares at a subscription price of Eu26.70 had been oversubscribed by 2.3 times.
The group said that the capital increase would give it access to other financing resources under favourable conditions giving it more flexibility to grow.
Pierre Pringuet, chief executive, said: “Pernod Ricard is pleased by the statement of confidence made by its shareholders regarding its strategy and growth perspectives. The group is now able to focus primarily on expanding the global reach of its business.”
The world’s second largest drinks company has more than Eu12bn of debt.
