42 avenue de Champagne
51200 Epernay
The house of Vranken is owned by Belgian Paul Vranken, whose ideas on quality I do not share but who undoubtedly has one of the most clever commercial brains in the region. His brands include Charles Lafitte, René Lallement, Demoiselle, Vranken, Barancourt, and Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, but his masterstroke was the purchase of Pommery in 2002. Marne et Champagne bought Lanson at the top of the market, and watched its assets dwindle, whereas Vranken bought Pommery at the bottom of the market, and watched his assets grow. He paid 150–180 million ($180–215 million), which was some 50 ($60 million) less than LVMH was asking. Although sales inevitably sank after the millennium blip, Vranken knew they were about to rise, and very quickly saw the value of Pommery jump 50 million ($60 million). In addition, Pommery sells at a premium compared to other Vranken brands, thus his group’s profit margin increased overnight. Some critics believed the Belgian business maestro would have to sell more bottles of Pommery to meet his bank repayments, and the only way he could do that would be by cutting prices, but he has in fact increased both sales and price! Vranken also owns subsidiaries in Portugal (Port: Quinta do Convento, Quinta do Paco, and São Pedro) and Spain (Cava: Senora, and Vranken).
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