Waitrose has announced that it will allow its online clientele to purchase single bottles of champagne through its site’s portal ‘Champagne Shop’. The available range features products under the brands of Bollinger and Tattinger, as well as the grocer’s award-wining private label Waitrose Blanc de Blancs Brut NV.
The move happens at an auspicious time for Waitrose's champagne-selling – in October 2015 it announced that its sales of the luxury drink were up 18 per cent on a like-for-like basis, running contrary to a far more subdued market for it generally. This was largely driven by the performance of its private label champagne.
Among the sparkling wines featured in the online offer are the vintages Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2010 (£23.99), Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut Rosé 2011 (£28.79), and Louis Roederer Cristal 2007 (£150.00).
A free-delivery offer extends to SKUs with retail prices of £29.99 or higher.
“This is already showing a positive effect on our champagne sales and encouraging more customers into the category,” said Waitrose Cellar Buyer Xenia Irwin, speaking to The Drinks Business.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
