“When I arrived, there was no one in the data”: faced with the drop in wine consumption, the wine merchant Nicolas becomes “Maison Nicolas” (but assures that he will not sell for more)

It’s not just a name change. A real transformation plan is underway at the wine merchant Nicolas, now renamed “Maison Nicolas”. Behind this plan is a woman: Cathy Collart Geiger, appointed CEO in April and former CEO of Picard Surgelés.

This name change serves to “make the new positioning of the brand visible to our customers”, but without predicting a premiumization of the range, he explained in BFM Business this Tuesday, October 14. “The addition of ‘Maison’ is not to make it more chic, he assures us. It is to mark a link with the past, because in 1822 we were called Maison Nicolas.”

But this is only part of the transformation. The group, faced with the drop in wine consumption, wants to improve its image, with the aim of achieving a 5% increase in its customers. The company has already carried out a temporary price reduction operation, and will begin a renewal of the ranges.

The new benchmark for alcohol-free products?

Cathy Collart Geiger tells BFM Business that when she arrived, there was no one with the data. And the same thing happened when he got to Picard. “But it is absolutely essential, to accompany our customers we need to know them. There is nothing like data to tell us their purchasing behavior, what they prefer in terms of products, their frequency of visits…”, he explains.

Thus, the more than 3,000 references of the brand will adapt to new consumer trends. “Without alcohol, 32% of clients consume it, 4 points more than last year,” argues the new manager.

“Beer consumption has also increased by 10 points in 15 years, so we will support this consumption trend,” continues Cathy Collart Geiger. It also wants to change formats at a time when 71% of French households are made up of one or two people. “Alone or as a couple it is difficult to open a bottle, we don’t want to waste it. The ‘bag-in-box’ (cubis) and the half bottle are formats that make sense for us,” he explains.

Finally, the new head of Maison Nicolas wants to “reconquer territories by opening new stores”, in France and abroad.