Sainsbury’s own-brand champagne has become the most popular bottle of bubbly in the UK, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reports that sales of Etienne Dumont, made exclusively for Sainsbury’s, soared by 82 per cent in the year to the end of October to 122,000, surpassing household names such as Moet and Chandon, which sold 115,000 cases over the 12 months and Lanson on 103,000 cases.
Etienne Dumont, which currently costs £14, is made by the company responsible for Lanson and is praised by independent experts as “a very drinkable wine without the silly prices you can pay for the well-known brands”.
Sainsburys champagne buyer, David Peek, said the figures clearly show that Sainsbury shoppers “are increasingly confident in seeking out champagne which represents a good quality to value ratio”.
Stewart Blunt, of market research firm Nielsen, which compiled the data, said: “The recession has meant some grand marques of champagne have lost out to cheaper brands.”
“A lot of it comes down to the fact that Moet hasn’t promoted itself as much as in the past, but that isn’t to take anything away from Etienne Dumont.”
“Many people would not be buying champagne if it wasn’t for these less expensive brands, which sell for pretty much half price .”
