FRANCE: Champagne Taittinger teams up with FIFA for 2014 World Cup

By Olly Wehring | 27 June 2013

Next year's FIFA World Cup takes place in Brazil

Champagne Taittinger has secured 'official Champagne' status for its namesake brand at next year's FIFA World Cup football tournament.

The family-owned company announced today (27 June) that it has signed a sponsorship deal with global football body FIFA that will run until the end of 2015. The tie-up, for an undisclosed sum, will see Taittinger boast the title of 'official FIFA Champagne' at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The brand is also the official Champagne for FIFA's Confederations Cup, which is running this month, also in Brazil.

“Champagne Taittinger will manifest its presence at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the months to come through various initiatives with the help of its 150 distributors around the world,” the company said.

Next year's World Cup runs from 12 June to 13 July.

The Taittinger family bought back control of the company from French bank Credit Agricole in late-2007.

Expert analysis

Global market review of Champagne – forecasts to 2016

Some of the issues and challenges addressed in the previous edition of just-drinks' Champagne report continue to influence a category struggling to grow. Recovery from economic downturn and tumbling sales was evidenced in 2010 and part way through 2011, only to be replaced with a further slow down at the end of that year and continuing into 2012. This has been more prevalent in the western European countries. Elsewhere there has been better sales performance, noteably in the US and Japan, significantly in Australia and not forgetting the burgeoning economies of Asia and Greater China. However, even these new markets can only go part way to offset the situation in the more mature markets, to such an extent that total Champagne shipments are expected to rise only slightly during 2012. According to the report, pronounced growth is unlikely until 2015.|

Sectors: Wine