March 31 – Pernod Ricard SA, the world’s second- largest liquor company, agreed to buy Vin & Sprit AB from Sweden’s government for 5.28 billion euros ($8.34 billion) to gain the Absolut vodka brand and take on Diageo Plc’s Smirnoff in the U.S. Pernod beat out rivals including Fortune Brands Inc. and the billionaire Wallenberg […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…