UK remains Bollinger priority

Champagne Bollinger has declared the UK is still the number one priority for its business, even though Asia is currently the buzz word for the Champagne industry.

Managing director of Bollinger, Jérôme Philipon, told the drinks business at the London International Wine Fair that the house was committed to "leveraging its strengths", such as the UK.

"There are still many opportunities for Bollinger in the UK, especially in the on-trade and through serving Bollinger by the glass," he added.

Philipon, who has a strong career background in Asia after working for Nestlé and Coca Cola, said Bollinger remains dedicated to supporting its very healthy European markets such as Spain and Italy, rather than chasing Asia, which he declared has no capacity for consuming Champagne in the same volumes as the more traditional markets.

He said: "I’ve learnt over time that succeeding in business is about leveraging your strengths, and where there is real knowledge and interest in wine, like old Europe, Bollinger is strong and we want to keep it like this."

The Champagne house recently "repositioned" the prices of its rosé cuvées in the UK. Philipon said: "We decided to reposition the NV Rosé from £55 to £45 and it has worked very well. Everyone still needs to offer value for money but people are still prepared to pay a premium for quality wine."

A full interview with Philipon will be featured in the drinks business later this year.

Jane Parkinson, 19.05.2010