Alexandre Ricard has officially taken the reins at Pernod Ricard SA, marking the return of a member of the French liquor maker's founding family to the head of the group which is grappling with sluggish sales in some of its largest markets. Pernod Ricard said on Thursday that net profit fell 5% to EUR788 million for the first six months of its financial year as sales continued to be weighed down by slack demand in China.