Running counter to much of the current sentiment surrounding the demand for fine drinks, Pol Roger Portfolio MD James Simpson MW has confidence in the future of Champagne, and set a new sales record in 2025.
Expressing his strong belief that the UK consumer still has a strong preference for Champagne, he told db last week that he expects to see the market grow, describing the category as “remarkably resilient”.
Continuing to sell well despite price increases, rising competition from other sparkling wines, and a general negative economic and geopolitical environment, he said of the sector, “We seem to have trained the consumer to continue to drink Champagne.”
Looking back, he recalled how a couple of years ago in the UK, “the big story was English sparkling wine”, before noting, “But Champagne still has an important role in public consciousness.”
He added, “I don’t think English sparkling has taken a huge chuck of Champagne [sales in the UK], and the two seem to be co-existing happily together.”
The desirability of Champagne is also why price discounting on the product seems especially effective in boosting sales. Simpson said, “UK consumers have been lucky with some good pricing from some of the houses over Christmas in the supermarkets – but that is something that the retailers do because it brings people in; if you did a similar discount on fifth growth Bordeaux, would people notice?”
As for the deals in the discounters Aldi and Lidl, where Champagne has been priced as low as £9.99, Simpson said that again such tactics increased sales of the product, “and doesn’t seem to have done any harm to the category” – even though such a sale would be loss-making for at least one actor in the supply chain.
Champagne shipments to UK on the way up
For year-end shipments – which are yet to be officially released by the Comité Champagne – Simpson expects the UK market to have posted some growth in 2025 compared to 2024’s figures, when the French fizz saw a decline of almost 13% to total 22.3 million bottles.
In 2025, Simpson expects that shipment figure to head up to around 24-25m bottles, and commented that he thinks “the UK is on the way back up, and America is on the way down” – when also speaking about Champagne’s largest export market, the US.
In terms of further major Champagne-consuming nations, he said that “Japan appears strong”, while “Germany seems to have overtaken Italy”.
An area of concern for the producers of Champagne is, in Simpson’s view, the domestic market.
“While the UK consumer is still drinking Champagne, the French consumer seems to have lost the habit of drinking it – that may be a question of price, as well as marketing; with the Loi Evin, you can’t market your brand,” he said, referring to the French law that prohibits the promotion of alcoholic drinks.
Continuing with the topic of the UK, he said that Champagne was well represented across the market, with sales of the French fizz split between around 50% mass retail – which is covered by NIQ (Nielsen) – with a further 25% in the independent sector, and the final 25% in the on-trade, including hotels and private members’ clubs.
He also said that Champagne benefitted from a number of sales opportunities throughout the year, from Valentine’s Day to Easter, as well as summertime events, although the majority of sales occur over the festive season.
And while 2025’s shipments of Champagne were affected by an excess of stock at the start of the year, looking to this year, he said that the situation was different.
“At the end of 2024, there was still Champagne sitting in the UK retail system, but by the end of the 2025, there was not a lot of bottles, so January and February this year have started quickly,” he said.
Pol Roger sets UK sales record
Moving on to the topic of the brand he represents in the UK, Champagne Pol Roger, Simpson said, “We are confident about the future.”
He continued, “We have had our best ever year in the UK for sales of Brut Non-Vintage, and by quite a long way.”
Although Pol Roger’s sales growth has been constrained by supply over the past 3-5 years, a global slowdown in demand has freed up some stock to meet a call for more bottles of Pol Roger in the UK, according to Simpson.
He added, “I was slightly astounded by how successful we have been, and sales have started well this year, so I’ve gone cap in hand [to Pol Roger in Champagne] to ask for a bit more.”
Meanwhile, he reminded db that London was soon to see the return of a trade buyer and press event for the French fizz called The Definitive Champagne Tasting, which will feature as many as 71 producers on Wednesday 22 April at The View within the Royal College of Surgeons.
Speaking about the increased number of Champagnes on show at this year’s event, he said, “I’m delighted”, before commenting, “Hopefully it will be another joyful day.”
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