Olivier Goudet acquires Wine-Searcher
French billionaire Olivier Goudet has expanded his presence in the global wine industry with the acquisition of Wine-Searcher, the leading wine price comparison and data platform. The deal follows his growing investment activity across the international wine sector, including a major stake in Treasury Wine Estates.
French billionaire Olivier Goudet has increased his investments in the global wine business by buying Wine-Searcher, the global price data platform and search engine.
He made the purchase through his US investment arm GLX U.S. Inc., a company headquartered in New York, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Platin Sàrl, his family’s Luxembourg-registered investment vehicle.
No purchase price has been disclosed.
Expanding influence in wine
Goudet has rapidly built up a 9% stake in Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates, a holding in the troubled giant that he has described as long-term, but which gives him a significant voice in the management and direction of the country’s biggest wine business.
Wine-Searcher said it will continue to operate from its Auckland headquarters while retaining its UK office. The company said that future growth efforts will focus heavily on the United States and other key international markets.
The company plans to boost its use of artificial intelligence to expand its position in global wine and drinks data services.
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“We are excited to be starting this new chapter with GLX and to continue supporting businesses across the wine industry,” said Julian Perry, chief executive of Wine-Searcher.
Focus on US expansion
Grégory Andre, senior partner at GLX, described Wine-Searcher as “the undisputed leader in the wine data industry”. He said that it will accelerate expansion in the US market.
“We look forward to providing the capital and strategic focus necessary to scale the business further, with a particular emphasis on expansion in the critical US market and other key international markets,” he said.
Global reach and data scale
Wine-Searcher lists 18 million offers from 35,000 retailers in 130 countries. According to the platform, it serves 60 million users and facilitates 250 million searches every year.
After a career in finance at Mars, Goudet became a founder of private investment giant JAB Holdings BV, which controls or holds stakes in global brands such as Pret A Manger, Dr Pepper, Krispy Kreme and Panera Bread.
Two years ago he stepped aside to concentrate on his personal investments.
Beyond financial investments in the wine sector, Goudet and his family also own Château Charmail, an estate in the Haut-Médoc.
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