Cannes Preview: Henkell Freixenet will focus on brand activations & GTR exclusives to grow market share

Cannes Preview: Henkell Freixenet will focus on brand activations & GTR exclusives to grow market share

Wiesbaden, September 2022. Henkell Freixenet Global Export will introduce GTR exclusives across its sparkling wine portfolio at the TFWA WE conference in Cannes this October. The sparkling wine market leader aims to leverage its market position to further grow in the GTR channel.

“As we target further growth in the sparkling wine category, the Henkell Freixenet Group will stronger engage in the GTR channels and showcase our global icon brands such as Freixenet, Henkell and Mionetto. GTR is a strategic focus and a further opportunity to grow brand presence in global markets,” says Sandra Janetzki, Senior Vice President at Henkell Freixenet Global Export.

Fiscal Year 2021 Review & GTR development

• Henkell Freixenet, the sparkling wine, wine and spirits division of Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG, closed 2021 with a sales increase of 11% to €1,326mn (incl. excise taxes)
• The ‘House of Brands’, within which the company is consistently continuing its focus on strong global and local brands, was the driver for the double-digit sales growth.
• GTR in particular saw a successful year for the company with a strong bounce back of sales. Across the brand portfolio, GTR grew due to the recovery of existing business and new business with ferries and cruises. Sales at the airports were not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, but the GTR division saw good increases from inflight business, especially in Europe and the US last summer. There were strong sales in the smaller Piccolo bottle format that are very popular.
• Overall, Henkell Freixenet has a market share of 27,4% in the sparkling wine category in GTR (IWSR, sparkling wine incl. champagne) and is the leading company in this category.

Return to airport activations

“In 2022 we returned to seasonal brand activations for our core GTR brands Mionetto, Henkell, Freixenet as well as our premium Riesling Wine Estate Schloss Johannisberg. Highlights of 2022 were our Mionetto Prosecco tasting promotion in April, at the Air One launch event of Urban-Air Port in the UK and a Henkell tasting bar promotion in Berlin’s T2 in partnership with Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value Shop during June and July.

Mionetto Prosecco x Urban-Air Port launch sponsorship

At the end of April, Mionetto Prosecco sponsored the Urban-Air Port launch event in Coventry, UK. The Urban-Air Port event debuted the company’s vertiport hubs for passenger air taxis and delivery/ logistics drones – providing the infrastructure on the ground to support sustainable air mobility. At the launch, guests enjoyed spraling moments with Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut and Mionetto Prosecco Rosé at the Mionetto bar.

Activations at airports

In June and July, the Henkell Tasting Bar opened at Berlin Airport Terminal 2, to offer travellers the opportunity to taste a selected portfolio of Henkell sparkling wines.  Henkell Trocken, Henkell Rosé and Henkell Brut Vintage were served. The Henkell Bar promotion was in partnership with Gebr. Heinemann and was located next to the till area of the Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value Shop, where travellers received a Henkell Trocken Piccolo gift with purchase. The promotion saw a strong double-digit sales growth in June and July vs the previous month.

“We are eager to continue these successes with more core brand / core airport activations at holiday times to capitalise on increased PAX. ‘Liquid to lips’ and the enhanced consumer knowledge of sparkling wine products is an important strategy for our brands’ growth in GTR,” says Janetzki.

Over the remainder of 2022 and into 2023, the company plans several in-store activations with backwall advertisements across European airports in Heinemann stores for strategic brands Henkell, Freixenet as well as Schloss Johannisberg, Pott Rum and Wodka Gorbatschow.

Airline partners & in-flight promotions

In 2021 and 2022 a number of Henkell Freixenet brands returned to airline menus: Fürst von Metternich 200ml and Mionetto Il Spritz are stocked on flight menus with Lufthansa and Eurowings. Meanwhile Lufthansa offers Segura Viudas and Menger Krug as welcome drinks for its Business Class travellers. Henkell, Kuemmerling and Wodka Gorbatschow are also stocked as part of the in-flight offer on-board of Lufthansa.

Global Travel Retail exclusive and premium products

This year’s TFWA WE showcase features new GTR exclusives as well as premium products from the Henkell Freixenet House of Brands:

Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Brut, Luxury Line : Besides showcasing its internationally known Prestige Collection with hero products Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso and Prosecco Rosé DOC, Mionetto is presenting Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Brut as a brand new product within the recently updated Luxury Collection. Considered the premium line of the brand, the Luxury Collection blends together the Mionetto winemaking excellence and the prestigious tradition of Venetian glass artists, thus emphasizing Mionetto’s unmistakable DNA. Within this collection, the Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Brut, with its recognizable orange label, will be launched as an exclusive product to the GTR sector. The grapes for this product are taken from vineyards of the renowned slopes of the Valdobbiadene DOCG area and create a Spumante with a fine and persistent perlage, fresh, balanced and elegant, with scents that are evocative of ripe fruits, honey and acacia blossoms.

Schloss Johannisberg: Henkell Freixent is proud to present Schloss Johannisberg wines for the GTR market. Thanks to their region-typical, authentic and individual character, the exclusively Riesling wines produced at Schloss Johannisberg have a global fan base. The world’s oldest Riesling winery was the only German wine producer to be included in Drinks International Magazine’s ‘Most Admired Wine Brands 2022’ list for its Schloss Johannisberg Goldlack (2019), which received the highest score of 100 points for a dry wine in its annual awards list.

Freixenet Elyssia: Spearheading a luxury positioning for the brand, Freixenet Elyssia Cava will relaunch for 2023 with a redesigned bottle and more contemporary label, designed with younger customers in mind. The premium Freixenet Elyssia range combines honest enjoyment with a touch of luxury to transform any moment into a celebration. The range comprises Elyssia Gran Cuvee Brut and Elyssia Pinot Noir appealing to people with sophisticated tastes who want a luxurious Cava experience. Not only does the range have new packaging after its relaunch, it also has a new positioning that reflects key brand values such as premiumness, cosmopolitanism, simple elegance and seduction.

Another new product that is offered in the GTR sector is the Pott Eierlikör on Rum Base, originally for the German market, which has exceeded the company’s sales expectations so far in 2022.

Sustainable wine making

During Cannes, Henkell Freixenet will be championing Segura Viudas, a premium Cava brand with a very long tradition and a clear approach to sustainable wine making. The brand had a design relaunch in 2021 and Segura Viudas Organic now also appears in the new look and feel.

Segura Viudas has an outstanding wine-making expertise that follows strict standards and care for sustainability in order to protect the land in the Penedés region which has nourished vineyards for 800 years. Segura Viudas is committed to studying and sustaining the rich and diverse ecosystem that has developed over centuries around the estate. As a result of its research and development, Segura Viudas has been awarded the environmental Wineries for Climate Protection certificate. Criteria for receiving this certificate include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and waste with a clear goal to minimalize the carbon footprint. Segura Viudas Organic Cava has a grape to bottle approach – all the processes in its production are in line with respect for nature and environmental sustainability.

No and Low Alcohol category

Alcohol-free will be part of the Henkell Freixenet brand portfolio this year in Cannes. Henkell Freixenet Global Export will be presenting its comprehensive range in the category, including Freixenet Alcohol-Free, Henkell Alcohol-Free and Henkell Alcohol-Free Rosé, Mionetto 0.0%.

“We see it as a category with consumer interest growing in this type of product year-on-year,” says Janetzki. Our brands Mionetto, Henkell and Freixenet include great tasting alcohol-free products that the company believes will see increased consumer demand for the GTR channel.

Henkel Freixenet will return to its regular stand position at the TFWA WE: Blue F11 – in the Blue Village.