GLOBAL: Bordeaux Index posts record H1 Champagne sales

By Andy Morton | 24 July 2013

BI's Champagne sales in the UK are rising

Global wine merchant Bordeaux Index has reported record Champagne sales for the first six months of 2013, with UK consumers leading the charge.

London-headquartered Bordeaux Index (BI) sold GBP5.3m (US$8.1m) worth of Champagne across its markets in the first six months of the year compared to GBP6.5m in all of last year, the company said today (23 July). Its previous full-year global sales record for Champagne was around GBP4m in 2008, and sales in 2011 were just GBP2.4m, BI said.

"This represents a major shift in focus for our clients,” BI founder and MD Gary Boom said. “(UK) consumers are viewing Champagne as an everyday drink to accompany good food, as well as to toast anything from a sports victory to the arrival of summertime.”

Champagne increased its share of BI's overall sales to 11.8% over the past 12 months compared to 3.7% over the previous 12 months, the company said.

BI also has offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Los Angeles.

According to trade body the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne last month, Champagne volume sales in France in March fell by 17% and in the rest of the EU by 11.2%. However, sales outside of the EU climbed slightly.

Expert analysis

Global market review of sparkling wine – forecasts to 2016

One of the less heralded developments within the global wine and spirits industry has been the performance of the non-Champagne sparkling wine. Between 2002 and 2012, the category added some 42.5m nine-litre cases to settle at just under 181m nine-litre cases. Particularly encouraging has been the broad-based nature of that growth. Twenty out of the top 25 sparkling wine markets posted increases over that period, including four of the five largest markets – Germany, Russia, France and Italy, while France was roughly flat. In 2011, there were 23 markets selling more than 1m cases.

Sectors: Wine