October 8, 1999. Copyright 1999. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

UK CHAMPAGNE RIP-OFF

LONDON, October 8, Graphic News: BRITISH shoppers buying champagne to celebrate the millennium are paying much more than other Europeans, according to a survey published in the wine writers journal Circle Update.
The survey shows that the price difference can be as high as £27 a bottle and that bubbly can be cheaper in Sweden and Norway Ð where alcohol is taxed far more heavily than in Britain.
The survey looked at the prices of six non-vintage champagnes across Europe and found the differences between the cheapest and most expensive countries were between £9 and £11. In the case of four of the six champagnes British prices were the highest.
ÒThe tax difference Ð VAT and excise duty Ð between France and Britain on a bottle of Moet is just £1.47Ó the survey says. ÒBut Moet actually sells for £7.95 more in Britain.Ó
Champagne houses say there are several reasons for the differences.
ÒProducts are traditionally cheaper in the country of production,Ó says Laurent Delafon of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. ÒThe UK market is less competitive than France. Champagne house have to maintain UK offices and there are promotional and hospitality costs.Ó
Additional transport costs, the high strength of the pound and higher retail margins are also cited for the price differences.
However come the millennium party the bubbly may taste flat as Britons reflect that they are paying heavily over the odds.
/ENDS