RÉMY SALES BOOSTED BY CHAMPAGNE

Rémy Cointreau saw sales rise 1.3% in the six months to September 30, with Rémy’s champagne stable, especially Piper-Heidsieck (up 13.8%), rising 10.9% with help from the U.S. Cognac sales rose 4.2% while Cointreau also enjoyed rising sales in the U.S.

The performance of Rémy’s partner brands, however, from the Maxxium venture hurt the first-half figures. Rémy said that sales of Scotch whisky and Californian wine were up but that the decline in overall sales was due to the end of distribution deals in the past 6 months.