“Who needs champagne when you got real pain?”: Champagne sales decline because nobody’s feeling like celebrating

Champagne sales would describe 2024 as an unpleasant beginning to a workday without coffee. This year Champagne sales fell by a substantial 9.2% which reduced the annual total to 271.4 million bottles due to diminished celebrations and heightened existential worries.

Since 2023 the champagne market has seen a downward trend due to inflationary pressure, global turmoil, and economic instability making people second-guess their Chipotle orders.

In simpler terms, the collective mood is: “What’s there to celebrate?”

Social media didn’t hold back, obviously. A user stated:

“Who needs champagne when you got real pain?”

A user hilariously stated: “What are we even celebrating?”

Of course, someone had to go dark:

“In other news, heroin sales are thru the roof.”

A user asked: “Why doesn’t this surprise me.”

“We broke”, said a user.

A user declared: “We want to celebrate but the inflation makes it harder 😂”

Someone brought Taylor Swift into the mix with a simple yet devastatingly effective:

“Champagne problems.”

“I haven’t celebrated anything since 1999”, a user said.

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Key factors contributing to the champagne decline

Champagne is going through it. Like, really going through it. The iconic bubbly—once synonymous with good times and let’s pop bottles—is now facing decline.

Well, inflation’s doing the most. Prices for everyday stuff are climbing, leaving consumers with less disposable cash to splurge on life’s fancier indulgences—like Champagne.

As if inflation wasn’t enough, geopolitical tensions are also serving chaos. Trade issues, conflicts, and other world-stage shenanigans are making Champagne markets jittery. And when markets are nervous, consumer confidence drops.

Celebration culture is also under renovation because the pandemic rewired how people mark milestones. Gone are the days of going big or going home. Champagne is suddenly feeling like the guy who peaked in high school.

And… sustainability. Gen Z and Millennials advocate for everything eco-friendly. The crowd has already moved on to organic wine in recyclable packaging.

LVMH CEO Jean-Jacques Guiony was quoted by QZ stating:

“Champagne is quite linked with celebration, happiness, et cetera. Maybe the current global situation, be it geopolitical or macroeconomic, does not lead people to cheer up and to open bottles of champagne.”

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The stats don’t lie

France, the birthplace of Champagne, saw domestic shipments drop 7.2%, landing at a meh 118.2 million bottles, trade associated Comité Champagne announced.

Meanwhile, exports were hit even harder with a 10.8% decline, bottoming out at 153.2 million bottles. Markets like the U.S. and Asia have seen reduced demand as wallets tighten and preferences shift.

The entire luxury goods sector is in a mid-life crisis. The luxury company LVMH, which owns well-known Champagne brands including Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon, is feeling the sting with a 15% drop in Champagne sales in the first half of 2024.

The 2024 Champagne slump has dragged shipments to their lowest since 2001—pandemic-stricken 2020 excluded.