French supermarkets due to trial new concepts in their wine departments

eading French wine industry members came to present the various aspects of the industry recovery plan on 24 February at the international agricultural show in Paris. Between now and the end of June, several dozens of supermarkets are due to trial two new wine department concepts, one revolving around packaging formats, the other focusing on food and wine pairings. “The wine department has not changed in thirty years. We want to experiment things”, said one of the industry representatives.

Subsequently, a “prospective platform for Nolo drinks” will be created in a bid to “attract young generations and then guide them towards wine”, announced Stéphane Héraud, chairman of the wine production association AGPV. The two projects stem from discussions that began at the end of 2023 with the French retail federation FCD and the co-operative and franchise federation FCA, the two representative bodies of the French multiple retail industry.

Other plans are still in the early stages. Héraud spoke about establishing “an observatory for innovation to follow the major consumption trends because we need research into packaging and containers”. No further details were provided as to when the observatory might be launched or what form it might take.