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Nicolas Feuillatte announces best ever results

Published:  17 May, 2013

The rise and rise of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte shows no sign of abating, according to figures announced today.

The rise and rise of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte shows no sign of abating, according to figures announced today.

The co-operative, which sells more Champagne than any other producer in both the UK and France, has confounded economic fears by coming up with its best financial results since being founded in 1972. Its figures for 2012, released this afternoon in Paris, show a record net operating profit of €15.6 million.

That represents an increase of as much as 7.8% on 2011. It is welcome news for the wine industry not just in France but also globally, given that 42% of the company's sales are outside the republic. Of the 9.1 million bottles sold worldwide in 2012, one million plus were traded in the UK.

It is a remarkable success story. At the start of the millenium, Nicolas Feuillatte was producing just over a tenth of what it makes now. Such an increase in what is intrinsically a mature market is underpinned not just by an attractive price point in the mid to high teens sterling/euro range but also by some top-notch marketing and highly efficient distribution.

Caroline Defaut, the company's marketing director, told Harpers: "The whole company exudes dynamism and a willingness to go outside the box. We do offer quality above our pricing, but intrinsic quality seems less important to the average brut consumer than for most still wines. Quality is perceived more acutely in the higher-end Champagnes, and we still have a lot of catching up to do in this segment. That is our aim."

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