French liquor major Pernod Ricard has ruled out an IPO of its India business as part of its deleveraging strategy, even as it reported a 4 per cent rise in net sales in the country. With growth accelerating to 8 per cent after excluding Imperial Blue, a brand that has now been disposed of and closed by the French Liquor major, it expects the momentum to continue in the second half of FY'26, its Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Ricard said. The company, which follows a July-to-June fiscal year, has achieved this growth despite a challenging first quarter, which was "severely impacted" by a very strong tax increase in Maharashtra, said Ricard on the post-earnings call last week. "We expect to see this momentum continue over the second half (H2)," he said in his opening remarks. The Pernod Ricard CEO highlighted that its international spirits portfolio is witnessing a "strong double-digit growth in India, reflecting the ongoing premiumization of the market. India's growth