- Third-quarter sales dip 6.1% to EUR45.4m [US$47.9m]
- Sales from nine months to end of September climb 6.9% to EUR144.2m
Sales for Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits in 2023 appear to have peaked, with the third quarter registering a decline after a healthy first half.
Three months on from posting a 14.2% top-line jump in the first six months of this year, the William Peel brand owner this week booked a 6.1% sales decrease in the three months to the end of September. Declines were recorded in both the company’s domestic market and ‘international’ reporting region, with France exhibiting a “confirmed decline in [its] spirits market”.
On the domestic front, Marie Brizard noted that while France's on-premise channel delivered growth against weak figures in 2022, the off-premise is "somewhat unsettled" for spirits, "with some legislative changes relating to annual negotiation timing periods coming soon".
Further afield, additional listings in the UK for the company's Sobieski vodka brand failed to stem the Q3 decline abroad where, most noticeably, sales in the US tumbled by just under 47% despite a "slight upturn" in sales from the previous quarter. Like many of its peers in spirits, the group flagged the destocking strategy at the country's distribution level, although "the Marie Brizard [liqueurs and syrups] brand performed well [in the US], up 18%".
"The current sluggishness of international growth, which remains one of the group’s development
priorities, is compounded by a French market that is increasingly mature, concentrated and highly
focused on purchasing power," the company said. "Against this backdrop, the group remains cautious regarding the short to medium-term business outlook."
Earlier this month, Marie Brizard agreed to add more brands owned by Sazerac Co to the pair's existing distribution agreement in France.
Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits official Q3 results announcement.
Where in France should spirits look for growth? – Market Intel
