Marie Brizard Wine and Spirits saw its revenue slide almost 9% in the first half of the year, hit by declines in France and the US.
The Sobieski vodka owner followed falling sales in the opening three months of the year with a sharper downturn in the second quarter.
Go deeper with GlobalData
First-half revenue decreased 8.5% to €86.6m ($101.9m) and sank 13.7% in the second quarter. First-quarter revenue had dipped 2.3%.
The French wine-and-spirits group said the revenue from its domestic business tumbled 17.4% in the first half.
It cited “difficult commercial negotiations with the off-trade” at the start of the year in a French spirits market that “continues to decline”.
Marie Brizard said it had requested price increases from customers in France to offset the “sharp rises in the cost of matured spirits”. Most customers had supported the “adjustments”, the group said, with talks ongoing with all customers.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe company’s sales in France plunged 23.8% in the second quarter amid falling distribution for its William Peel Scotch whisky.
In the French on-trade, Marie Brizard said its sales increased more than 12% in the first half “with growth across all brands in the portfolio”.
The group reports its sales across two geographic areas – France and International. Outside France, Marie Brizard’s first-half revenues fell 1.3% and were down 5.6% in the second quarter.
Marie Brizard said it saw “a sharp decline” in the US in the second quarter, pointing to “to a mass reduction in inventories decided unilaterally by our importer”.
The company’s US sales slid more than 57% in the second quarter. It said the cuts in inventory amounted to a 2.4% fall in group revenues in the first half of the year.
It said its business in Canada “returned to growth” in the second quarter. The group saw “strong growth” in Poland, it added.
Marie Brizard said it is controlling costs to protect profits and pointed to two sides of the business that are “performing well” – industrial services (which includes bottling contracts and bulk sales) and agency brands.
“However, commercial visibility for the coming months remains uncertain and limited, due in particular to the risks associated with possible increases in customs duties in the second half of 2025 and their impact on international trade, which could weigh on the group’s overall profitability,” it added.
