Champagne Billecart-Salmon invests in Chinese wine distributor

Champagne Billecart-Salmon has announced that it will become a shareholder in Liber, a premium fine wine and spirit importer in Greater China.

Having entered the China market 15 years ago, Champagne Billecart-Salmon has been focusing on the distribution of its Champagnes in high-end restaurants, 5-star hotels and premium wine cellars.

Based on its confidence in the market, the Champagne house has decided to expand its presence in the market and invest in Liber, a boutique wine distributor, which was founded two years ago.

The founders of the company are Stéphane Moreau, Connor McClay and Bertrand Carquillat. Together they have more than 50 years of experience in Asia and are now based in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Each of them comes from a solid background ranging from distributing and consulting to open-market sourcing in respective regions, and have garnered a strong network of clients from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Bertrand Carquillat told db Asia: “We have been working with Champagne Billecart-Salmon since the beginning of our business and we distribute their Champagnes to carefully selected outlets that fit with the house standard.

“Our discussion of a further partnership began at the end of last year as Billecart-Salmon has observed positive sales growth in the region. In fact, over 70% of Liber’s sales of top labels are consumed in mainland China. It is definitely a win-win situation to join hands with Billecart-Salmon. For us, we are extremely proud of the endorsement from an historical company as it can help open doors for us to more clients; meanwhile Billecart-Salmon can strengthen its sales and presence in the region.”

Mathieu Roland-Billecart, CEO of Billecart-Salmon and also the seventh generation of the family, added: “We are delighted to have further strengthened our partnership with Liber. We are confident that Liber can deliver our selective distribution strategy across China and we look forward to working more closely with them.

“My recent trips have confirmed my belief that there is a strong and growing community of Champagne lovers in Greater China and we must ensure Champagne Billecart-Salmon is available in the best places there in the same way as we have been able to do across the world’”

Apart from being the exclusive distributor for Billecart-Salmon, Liber is also working with other quality producers from the most sought-after regions, such as Domaine Nicolas Rossignol, Château Magnan la Gaffelière and Dominus Estate.