Pernod Ricard's drawn out sale of its BWG wholesale business should be concluded this summer. Joint md Richard Burrows said agreement had been reached with venture capitalist Electra. Contracts were being drawn up and final regulatory approval sought. The sale follows the drinks giant's decision to concentrate solely on wines and spirits. The sale will help fund its joint takeover with Diageo of Seagram. This week its results for 2001 showed BWG sales up 12% to e1.4bn. Operating profit was down 13.8% to e39m as a result of the loss of tobacco stock profits and foot and mouth disease. Group sales were up 4% to e4.6bn with a 7% increase in operating profit to e451m. {{NEWS }}