Slight Decrease in Champagne Shipments after Bumper 2015

After the record-breaking sales in 2015, The Comité Champagne have revealed an estimated 2% drop in Champagne shipments worldwide in comparison.

The biggest changes have been in the French and UK markets, with 2 thirds of the 6 million bottle decline from France alone. The UK had a fall of around 3 million bottles, while the rest of UK remained fairly steady with sales or even slight increases.

Outside of the EU the Champagne industry managed to enjoy a 0.5% increase in exports.In total, in 2016 there were 306.6 million bottles sold, compared with 312.5 million in 2015 – and a total turnover of €4.75 billion.
However, 2015 was a record year for Champagne sales which beat the previous record set in 2007, as sales rose by 1.7%.

Thanks to the increase, the yields in Champagne were set higher than usual, at 315 million bottles, however, the market calmed down more than expected.

Champagne producers are not too worried about the decrease in 2016 in comparison with the bumper year before it.
2017 is expected to be a more positive year for the industry.