When it's time to harvest the grapes in the vineyards, it's time for the wine fairs in supermarkets. Luxembourg is no exception to this French tradition, and retailers offer a host of wine-related promotional offers, sometimes with very different approaches.
For example, at Cactus, the Festival des Grands Vins de France takes place in October, while the calendar is completed by the Festival des Vins du Monde in March and the Vins Quotidiens promotion at the end of the summer. "These different festivals target distinct customer expectations and it is therefore not a 'problem' that they follow each other fairly quickly," explains the supermarket chain.
In its thirty or so supermarkets, Delhaize is focusing on red wines with its wine festival from September 23 to October 20. 200 vintages will be promoted with food and wine pairings. The Belgian retailer is banking on innovation, new regions and new products. An example is the recycled cardboard bottle from Spanish vegan and organic wine maker Planet B, but the retailer also carries many vintages from South America, Central Europe and France. The festivals, scheduled for spring and autumn, represent 20% of Delhaize's wine and sparkling wine sales.
80% of the catalogue represents specific wine fair purchases that are not found on the shelf all year round.
The grand duchy’s 28 Match and Smatch shops promote a mix between newly released vintages, Bordeaux 2019, and the store's hand-picked favourites, with some 300 references in all. "80% of the catalogue represents specific wine fair purchases that are not found on the shelves all year round. The remaining 20% are flagship products with which we offer at a discount,” explains Sébastien Desbeux, manager in charge of liquid products and tobacco. The promotion, which runs until 5 October, accounts for 10% of annual sales in the wine department.
8% of the annual turnover of the wine department at Auchan
Auchan Luxembourg’s wine fair represents 8% of the annual turnover of the department, and nearly 12% of its volume. Some 340 references are being promoted, of which just 10% is similar to the range available in France. "We don't necessarily choose big names, but rather small estates with small, passionate winemakers,” explains Marc Geuzurian, director of Auchan Kirchberg. It should be noted that 70% of the fair's selection is made up of temporary references selected especially for the occasion.
Cora focuses on French wines, but its vast selection also includes a few foreign vintages, including wines from Central Europe, but also bottles from Francis Ford Coppola's estate in California offered at the Concorde shop. The Concorde store also has a selection of exceptional quality wines that fetch four-figure prices. The Foetz shop is also offering a wide range of wines until 9 October under a special marquee erected for the occasion.
The end of year festivities in focus
Even the discounters are organising a wine fair. At Aldi, 25 additional references have been available on the shelves since the beginning of the month. "We make intelligent and well-considered choices in the range in advance, so that customers are not spoilt for choice in the shop," explains Jason Sevestre, spokesman for Aldi Luxembourg.
Lidl runs a spring and autumn version of the promotional event. For the latter, 36 new wines remain on the shelves for six months. "We don't offer 10 wines from the same appellation, but rather three great wines,” the smart-discounter explains. These include Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Lalande de Pomerol--"festive wines that fit in perfectly with the autumn period".
Clearly, for many customers, this commercial operation is an opportunity to fill up their cellars as the festive end-of-year meals approach. If many retailers claim that the fairs represent the biggest operation in the wine department, it is mainly because they last between two and four weeks. The holiday period from Black Friday to Epiphany also has very strong sales, but is more spread out over time.
The conception of the supermarket wine fairs dates back to 1973 in Brittany, when a central purchasing agency, Scarmor, decided to offer retailers more diversified references than the table wines at the time. This autumnal event literally changed the marketing of fine wines which, since then, have been on the shelves all year round but now benefit, at least once a year, from this very special spotlight.
This article was originally written in French for and has been translated and edited by Delano