Coronavirus reduced champagne sales by almost a fifth last year

Champagne sales in the world fell by almost a fifth last year, but last year's development is, according to the latest estimates, better than originally expected. This was pointed out by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC). As a result of the new coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine measures taken, bars and restaurants have closed and activities related to the consumption of this drink have been severely curtailed. However, the situation partially improved towards the end of last year, thanks to which the latest CIVC forecast has slightly improved. As the CIVC reported, it estimates that the volume of champagne sales fell by about 18% in 2020. This would mean a decrease in annual sales of about 1 billion euros. The organization also expects that the pandemic will affect demand in the first half of this year. "It's a little better than we originally expected," said CIVC President Maxime Toubart, quoted by Reuters. The organization originally expected revenue to fall by as much as 1.7 billion euros. As for the sale of champagne on the French market and key export markets such as Britain and the USA, according to the CIVC, sales volume in each of them decreased by 20%. Even more significant was the decline in sales in Japan, where it reached about 28%. On the contrary, the export of champagne to Australia increased by 14% last year, according to the organization. According to the CIVC, a total of 245 million bottles of champagne were sold worldwide last year. In 2019, there were almost 300 million bottles. If the estimate is confirmed, it will mean a decrease in sales volume by more than 18%. CIVC originally expected sales to fall by as much as a third. In terms of sales, CIVC estimates sales at approximately 4 billion euros.