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PARIS (REUTERS) – The protest movement "The Yellow Vest" in France and Brexit pushed the number of bottles of French champagne sold last year to its lowest level since 2004, according to the data of the professional group Sunday (March 17)
The Interprofessional Committee for Champagne Wine (CIVC) announced that the number of bottles sold had decreased by 1.8%, reaching 302 million in 2018, while total revenues increased by 0.3%, reaching a record of 4.9 billion euros (7.5 billion dollars).
"The decline in volumes is becoming a little worrying, as the slowdown in France and Great Britain is not offset by higher sales outside the European Union," the co-chairman told Reuters CIVC, Jean-Marie Barillere.
French and UK sales together account for approximately 60% of total sales volume. French sales fell by 4.2% to 147 million bottles, with more bottles sold abroad than in France for the first time in 100 years, due to the slow pace of sales. economy and protest movement anti-government yellow vest that weighed on sales.
Barillere said the protests touched Parisian tourist arrivals and the confidence of French households, hampering demand.
Export sales rose 0.6% to nearly 155 million bottles, but export earnings grew 1.8% to 2.9 billion euros, the highest level in the world. Focus being on the value of big houses, such as Moët & Chandon of LVMH and Mumm of Pernod Ricard, the best sell champagne, paid off.
In Great Britain, sales fell for the third year in a row, partly because of uncertainties about the planned departure of the country from the European Union. Volumes dropped 3.6% to 26.8 million bottles for a total business turnover of 406 million euros. Volumes had already decreased by 11% in 2017 and 9% in 2016.
CIVC said the champagne felt stiff competition from Italian prosecco, which is three to four times cheaper.
Sales in the United States rose 2.7% to 23.7 million bottles, for a turnover of 577 million euros.
Sales in Japan increased 5.5% to 13.6 million bottles, while sales in Hong Kong and China – each representing more than 2 million bottles – grew by 12% and 10.1% respectively.
The largest increase in sales was recorded in South Africa, where volume increased by more than 38% to reach 1.1 million bottles.
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