Vranken Pommery Monopole sees Champagne sales rise

Vranken Pommery Monopole has struck a more upbeat tone than some of its rivals after seeing Champagne sales rebound in the third quarter of its financial year.

Vranken Pommery Monopole’s Champagne sales rose by 27% in value for the three months to the end of September, to EUR43.3m (US$59.6m).

The increase means that the firm’s Champagne sales increased by 9.6% for the first nine months of 2013, versus to the same period of 2012, to EUR117.5m, signalling higher momentum in the third quarter. Volume figures were not released.

Commenting on the results, the group said it expects to achieve its Champagne sales targets for the year in all markets. That includes Europe, a region which remains less than satisfactory for at least one of the group’s rivals, LVMH-owned Moet Hennessy.

‘Sales of premium brands were particularly strong in France and in export markets,’ Vranken Pommery said.

However, it cautioned that half of its annual Champagne sales generally take place in the final quarter of the year, in the build-up to the Christmas period.

As a group overall, and including still wines such as Chateau La Gordonne in Provence, Vranken Pommery’s net sales rose by 5.6% in the third quarter of 2013, to EUR66m.

But, the group’s nine-month sales dropped by around 5%, to EUR177.9m, due to lower ‘inter-trade’ sales of unfinished, generic wine in the first half of the year.

Written by Chris Mercer