Ambitious plans afoot for Champagne Canard-Duchêne in UK

Ambitious plans are afoot for Champagne Canard-Duchêne in the UK as the brand’s importer looks to increase distribution and raise awareness for the house, which is part of Alain Thiénot’s family-owned company, Arvitis.

News of the programmed development for Canard-Duchêne came during a discussion with Charles Taverner, who was appointed managing director of the Thiénot-owned distributor Champagnes & Châteaux UK in September last year.

Speaking to db during a podcast on the market for Champagne and fine wine in the UK, Taverner mentioned his aim to ramp up the presence of Canard-Duchêne in the likes of multiple retailers as well as independents in the UK – a market where the brand was once prominent.

“We’ve got some fairly aggressive plans to really penetrate the market, not only into some national retail, but also working with the independence sector,” said Taverner, adding that the brand’s range lends itself to different parts of the market, with the Brut Non-Vintage, labelled ‘Iconic’ best-suited to supermarkets, while more specialist Champagnes, such as the blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs, as well as the producer’s organic cuvée, being better-suited for specialist merchants.

Moving quickly back into the mainstream

Suggesting that the brand development plans would come to fruition soon, Tavener added, “We are talking to a number of retailers and merchants to get get things moving quickly this year, so we look forward to seeing Canard-Duchêne back in the mainstream.”

Earlier on in the discussion, Taverner explained the rationale for promoting Canard-Duchêne in the UK, which is a highly-competitive Champagne market.

“In France, Canard-Duchêne is one of the top five Champagne brands, with huge retail distribution,” he commented, while recording that the label was “in the multiples in the UK 25 years ago.”

Since then, for various reasons, Canard-Duchêne has withdrawn from mainstream distribution in the UK, partly due to a change of strategy following the Thiénot family’s purchase of the brand in 2003 and a decision to focus on the bar and restaurant sector.

Prompting this were issues of production, although Taverner said that the house has “been working extremely hard over the past 20 years” to build up its supply of Champagne so that it can meet the requirements of larger retailers.

“The house has been getting the right contracts in place, in terms of working with growers to source grapes from the right vineyards, and obviously that process takes a bit of time,” he said.

Essentially a relaunch

“Today, Canard-Duchêne is an amazing place, and it’s a essentially a relaunch in the market from a better place,” he added, noting the producer’s “fantastic young winemaker” in Cynthia Fossier, who took over from long-time cellar master Laurent Fédou in January last year, along with the maison’s organic grape supply, Pinot Noir focus, and lightweight bottles, with new label designs.

Summing up on the topic of Canard-Duchêne, with its new look and expanded sourcing, Taverner told db, “We’ve got lots of plans in the UK market this year to really build it up as one of the original Grande Marque houses.”

Related news

A year of change at Champagne Canard-Duchêne

Canard-Duchêne bucks Champagne trend

Canard-Duchêne launch ‘smooth’ pink Champagne in ski resorts