(Yicai Global) Oct. 31 -- Most of the largest international giants of wine and spirits, including Pernod Ricard and Diageo, are joining the upcoming fifth China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Big brands are in tune with the changing trends among young Chinese consumers who are looking for more diverse options such as foreign whiskeys instead of traditional domestic spirits amid a rapid increase in drinking at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, Yicai Global learned. The CIIE will be held Nov. 5-10.

Diageo, a London-based beverage retailer which owns brands such as Johnnie Walker and Baileys, has enlarged its booth by half this year from a year ago. The company will debut a series of new products during the expo while presenting its low-emission transformation.

Pernod Ricard, a French owner of brands such as Chivas, Malibu and Absolut, has participated in all the previous CIIEs. This year, the firm will showcase several new high-end whiskeys.

Imported spirits are maintaining good momentum in China as the country's middle class is expanding while the market environment is opening up, Jerome Cottin-Bizonne, managing director at Pernod Ricard China, said to Yicai Global. The company intends to introduce more products to the market, he added.

Remy Cointreau Group will launch multiple new products during the event but it will also bring its core brands including Louis XIII cognacs, Bruichladdich single malt whiskies, and Telmont champagnes. Some 90 percent of the materials of this year's booth are reused from previous years' events, indicating the Paris-headquartered company's commitment to sustainability.

Pernod Ricard had a stellar fiscal year as global sales tallied EUR10.7 billion (USD10.6 billion), a historic high, according to the firm's 2022 earnings report. In China, the firm boosted its revenue by 5 percent during the 12 months ended June 30, despite the Covid-19 pandemic early this year, while the compound annual growth rate was 9 percent for the past three years.

Editors: Xu Wei, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi