Concha y Toro wine brand Cono Sur is toasting a £7m boost to sales - growth of 100% - which has catapulted it into fourth position in the Chilean brand leader board in the UK off-trade.
Cono Sur saw major sales boost thanks to Tour de FranceThe Concha y Toro owned brand saw sales double to £14.3 million in the UK off-trade last year, with the sponsorship of the Tour de France being a major factor in that success.
The brand partly attributes its success to a tie-in with the Tour de France Grand Départ, which kicked off in Yorkshire this year, which boosted sales of its Cono Sur Bicicleta brand.
Cono Sur is now the fourth largest Chilean brand in Total UK Off Trade, its highest ever position, and against a backdrop of the Chilean Wine category growing at 2.6% and the total category growing at 0.7%, according to Nielsen statistics to July 19, 2014.
52 WE 20.07.13 | 52 WE 19.07.14 | % Change | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Total Still Wine |
| £5,446.6m | £5,485.3m | 0.7% |
Total Chilean Wine |
| £433.9m | £445.3m | 2.6% |
|
| |||
Top five Chilean brands (share of total Chilean wine) | ||||
Isla Negra |
| £96.0m | £90.9m | -5.3% |
Private Label |
| £92.6m | £86.4m | -6.7% |
Casillero del Diablo |
| £58.5m | £77.0m | 31.6% |
Viña Maipo |
| £33.5m | £37.6m | 12.2% |
Cono Sur |
| £7.1m | £14.3m | 100.9% |
*Figures for Total Off Trade, Nielsen Scantrack data, 52 weeks to 19 July 2014 .
Cono Sur Bicicleta supported the cycling race with:
? Tour de France branding on pack throughout the sponsorship period
? Sampling at each finishing line: 12,000 wine samples were distributed at the three finish lines at Harrogate, Sheffield and London.
? Presence in the Village du Tour and the publicity caravan along the route on the three days
? A number of in-store events with major customers .
Clare Griffiths, Concha y Toro's UK marketing director, said: "This is fantastic news for Cono Sur and demonstrates the value of a well-chosen partnership. The brand has built on its already strong base and is now making the transition to the next level in terms of brand recognition, awareness and distribution."
Cono Sur, based in Chimbarongo, Chile, is the leading Pinot Noir producer in South America, and in 2007 was the first winery in the world to obtain carbon neutral delivery status. In 2010 it was certified ISO 14064 for the minimisation of greenhouse gases.