How did you get into the luxury drinks sector from a law background?
It happened in two stages. As a lawyer I enjoyed working with corporates but was more interested in the commercial decision making than the legal elements, so I transitioned into commercial roles via an MBA from the University of Oxford. When I was working at a magic circle law firm in the City, a client advised me to follow my passion.
I had followed the legal route without giving it much consideration, but that conversation prompted me to shift into commercial roles, which ultimately led me into the luxury drinks sector.
How do you look back on 2024 as a business and what you have been able to achieve?
We have focused more than ever on the higher end of our range: in particular our prestige cuvée Grand Siècle, James Suckling's wine of the year 2023, and the releases of our new Vintage 2015 and our Héritage Champagne, the second wine of Grand Siècle.
It is great to see the positive feedback these Champagnes have generated from wine critics, trade customers and mostly importantly from consumers.
We were also honoured to be the first Champagne house to be granted the Royal Warrant of His Majesty The King. Alexandra and Stéphanie de Nonancourt hosted a memorable celebration at St James's Palace to mark this historic occasion.
What initiatives have you introduced to help support the trade?
Here Adam Guy is presenting Scott Crowe with the 2024 scholar as part of the Gold Service Scholarship awards initiative. Crowe was at the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh but has now moved to Browns hotel in London - both part of the Rocco Forte group.
We are longstanding supporters of the Roux Scholarship and the Gold Service Scholarship which focus on developing excellence with the most talented future chefs and front of house service respectively.
In the new year we will be announcing a new partnership to promote greater diversity within the UK wine trade.
What have you been most proud of in your role?
I am most proud of the results we have achieved in our annual employee engagement surveys, where we rank in line with the best workplaces in most areas and since 2021 have been accredited as a great place to work.
The brand is being served at The Ritz, Claridge’s and other five-star hotels this Christmas – how important is that for the brand and the business?
It is a great honour to see our finest Champagne pouring in some of the world's greatest hotels – Grand Siècle is the Champagne of the month at The Ritz this December and Héritage being the pouring Champagne at Claridge’s, The Savoy, The Corinthia as well as Nobu Portman Square.
Grand Siécle is being celebrated this month at The Ritz as its Champagne of the Month
I feel that Bernard de Nonancourt, who launched this Champagne back in the 1950s, would have been very proud to see it become an icon.
You are very much positioned in the luxury goods market- how do you personally define luxury for a brand?
A see it as being a discretionary item that makes us feel special because of its associations of exclusivity, rarity, aspiration, status, heritage, craft and premium pricing - all of which have been core components of Champagne for centuries.
How do you keep both a luxury brand and traditional, historic brand fresh and relevant to existing but also new consumers?
This is a challenge for any heritage brand. We keep close to both our core consumers and new generations coming through, monitoring trends, consumption changes, what resonates. Then we adjust our distribution and brand activity accordingly.
How do you see the overall Champagne category and where the opportunities for growth still are?
The UK is no longer the number one export market for Champagne as other export markets have grown, reducing the Champagne region's dependence on the UK. In the UK the focus for the most premium brands like ourselves is value rather than volume. We expect this to continue, with new product launches at the higher end of the range.
Laurent-Perrier's Héritage cuvée is also being celebrated this month and is the house pour at prestigious venues such as Claridge's and The Savoy amongst others
What are the main plans for the Laurent-Perrier over the next 12 months?
In 2024, as well as activating with a lot of our trade customers, we have also trialled several new initiatives in particular with trade press. The focus in 2025 is around consolidating what has already been working well, whilst allowing opportunities to work on new initiatives.
Central to our activity in 2025 will be our new support of the Conde Nast Traveller New Restaurant Awards that takes place for the second time in March. I am delighted to be joining a line up of judges that includes Tom Parker-Bowles, Raymond Blanc and Gizzi Erskine. Laurent-Perrier will award the best New Sommelier Award. Condé Nast Traveller's inaugural edition in 2024 of The UK’s Top New Restaurant Awards searched the country to find the very best openings.
* You can find out more about Laurent-Perrier and its prestige Champagnes at its website here.
* Laurent-Perrier is a commercial partner of The Buyer and you can find out more about its services to the premium on and off-trade here.
