Campari to buy majority stake in Champagne Lallier
Campari Group has announced it is in talks with privately owned French company Sarl Ficoma to buy a majority stake in Champagne Lallier.
The Italian drinks company said it has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire an 80% interest, with a medium-term route to total ownership in the share capital of Champagne Lallier and other group companies.
The acquisition, which if successful will mark Campari Group’s first entrance into Champagne, includes the brands, related stocks, real estate assets including owned and operated vineyards, and production facilities.
Mainly sold in selected on-trade outlets and bottle shops, the acquisition would “further extend Campari Group’s range of premium offerings to this key channel for brand building”, said the Milan-based business.
Moreover, Campari Group would “build further critical mass in the strategic French market”, where the company recently started to sell through its own in-market company, it added.
Champagne Lallier is produced in Aÿ, one of the few villages classified as Grand Cru in Champagne. Sarl Ficoma sold around one million bottles of champagne in 2019, including nearly 700,000 bottles of Lallier.
The transaction is subject to the completion of French labour law processes, with Campari Group set to provide the key financial terms of the transaction upon the “positive conclusion of the negotiations”.
In February, Campari Group unveiled plans to move its registered office from Italy to the Netherlands as part of a shareholder shakeup geared towards M&A opportunities.
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