France's Compagnie Vranken has agreed to license its Pompadour brand to its Champagne subsidiary Vranken-Pommery Monopole. 

Maison Pompadour, built around a collection of reserve vintages sourced from the Clos Pompadour vineyards is positioned as "the first new Champagne house of the 21st century", a statement announcing the deal read.

The licensing agreement follows Vranken-Pommery Monopole’s decision to sell Champagne house Heidsieck & Co Monopole to rival group Lanson-BCC for €50m ($57.6m), plus an undisclosed amount for the brand’s historic vintages.  

The transaction formed part of a broader plan to reduce debt and “refocus” on international flagship Champagne Pommery & Greno. 

Compagnie Vranken, the majority shareholder in Vranken-Pommery Monopole, had been lined up to acquire Heidsieck & Co. but the company opted for what a “more attractive” offer from Lanson-BCC.  

Instead, Compagnie Vranken agreed to purchase Champagne stocks from Vranken-Pommery Monopole to help reduce its debt.

In a further statement, Vranken-Pommery said Maison Pompadour was created in 2003 but had "remained deliberately confidential for more than twenty years to build a rare collection of vintage reserve wines drawn from a vineyard that is truly unique in the Champagne region".

The company added: "With today’s official launch, Pompadour moves from strategic discretion to a more assertive and internationally oriented presence. As the brand is only now entering its active commercial phase, no separate public sales figures or country-by-country footprint exist yet. The objective, however, is clear: to deploy Pompadour across the key premium markets where the group already benefits from a strong foundation."

From January, Vranken-Pommery Monopole will be renamed Maison Pommery & Associés.  

Vranken-Pommery Monopole reported broadly stable sales but lower operating profitability in the first half of 2025, while narrowing its net loss year on year. 

Turnover for H1 came in at €109.3m, a marginal decline of 0.2% from €109.6m a year ago. 

Operating income declined 7.2% year-on-year to €13.7m. The group's net loss narrowed to €1.4m from €1.9m in the same period last year.