- Sales from three months to end of September flat – +0.3% – at EUR41.6m (US$46.4m)
- For the year-to-date, group sales decline 2.9% to EUR125.6m
Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits has booked a second consecutive quarter of flat sales, calming its seas after a tumultuous 18 months for the William Peel scotch whisky owner.
In late July, the Paris-headquartered group, which is 78%-owned by La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, said its second-quarter sales had hit parity (inching up 0.5%) after six consecutive quarters of falling sales. Figures released earlier today (30 October) showed the three months to the end of September also coming in flat (+0.3%) on the corresponding period in 2025.
Despite the two performances, Q1’s sales slide of 9.6% meant that for the year to date, Marie Brizard’s top line sits at -2.9%.
Domestic sales continued to improve markedly against very weak comparables – Q3 leapt by 13.3% as its blended scotch flagship continued its recovery after losing a swathe of listings in the French off-premise channel last year. Marie Brizard noted, however, that William Peel’s “recovery is proceeding at a significantly slower pace than anticipated”.
Outside of France, and the ‘international’ reporting region fell by 7.1% in the three-month period as a “strong performance” in Spain was more than offset by declines across Western Europe and Canada. Sales in the US also declined, the group said, with Sobieski vodka remaining weak and an “inventory rundown by the importer”.
“Spirits markets continue to struggle against volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds in the second half of 2026, requiring considerable operational agility and commercial responsiveness,” the brand owner said. “In particular, the group remains exposed to the impacts of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, which are driving up the cost of inputs and transport and disrupting supply chains.
“Against this backdrop, the group expects the prevailing uncertainty and contrasting trends to continue for the rest of the year.”
Earlier this year, Marie Brizard revised the packaging for its Gautier brand to mark the cognac’s 270th anniversary.
