Cognac unveils its ’Cité’ at a cost of €18.4 million

randy is due to get its own city, with an investment to the tune of 18.4 million euros. On March 27, the national Cognac marketing bureau (BNIC) unveiled the first architect’s impressions of its future head office. The three buildings have a total footprint of 6,600 m2 amidst 15,000 m2 of woodland lining the river Charente. The complex will house the one hundred or so employees of the BNIC – the administrative, legal and technical departments currently based on the Allées Bernard Guionnet in Cognac – along with the winegrowers’ organisation for AOC Cognac (UGVC, currently based in Gensac-la-Pallue) and the Maisons de Cognac organisation (SMC, based in Rue Gabriel Jaulin in Cognac). The new headquarters will be more than just a hub of institutional activities, however, and is due to be open to both the Cognac industry and visitors, with a park and game on Cognac growths.

The project has been in the pipeline since 2015. It illustrates the industry’s decision to invest locally and its desire to recapture the domestic market, which represents just 2% of Cognac sales. “After conquering the world, Cognac wants to reinvest in its region and continue to contribute to its appeal and development”, said BNIC chairman Christophe Veral, in a press statement. He added: “For Cognac to feature in the finest venues, in New York, Shanghai or Lagos, there first has to be magic here, in Charente”.