After buying out Friedrich and Sautejeau Beauquin from the Val de Loire in 2007, Oenoalliance from Boredaux in 2008, and Selles from Beaujolais and the Côtes du Rhône en 2009, the Castel group recently bought out the Bordelais wine trader, Barton et Guestier, from industry giant Diageo. Founded in 1725, the historic trader is the most senior in Bordeaux, and has a yearly turnover figure of around 25 million Euros, 95% of which comes from their exports to 130 different countries.
The announcement of the takeover coincided with the publication of healthy turnover figures for Castel’s China operation: the French number one in wine sales is said to have sold 20 million bottles to the Chinese market this year, compared to 14 million bottles last year. Because of this China now becomes the biggest export market for the French leader. ‘‘Every year since 2005 we have managed to double our export volume to China’’ said Franck Crouzet, the group’s marketing director. This growth has been enabled by the developpment of an extensive distribution network, made up of 10 distributors spread all over the country. One of the company’s Chinese partners, Beijing Hengyi Shengsi, sought to strengthen their links with the French giant, by singing an 11-year distribution contract with a yearly turnover aim of between 8 and 15 million Euros.