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Andrew Peller Limited has reported continued growth and strong sales performance for the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, as the company celebrates several award wins for Peller Estates Icewines.
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Peller Estates Riesling Icewine 2011 has won four gold medals |
Peller Estates was recently named “˜Canadian Winery of the Year’ at the 2014 WineAlign National Wine Awards held in Penticton, BC in June. This year marked the 14th edition of the national competition, which saw 1,335 wines from 189 wineries across Canada being reviewed by an expert panel of wine writers, wine critics, retail buyers, Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wines.
“Everyone in our Peller family is thrilled that our winemakers at Peller Estates have been recognised for their relentless pursuit of quality and commitment to making great tasting wines,” said Andrew Peller Limited President & Chief Executive Officer John Peller.
This accolade adds to the seven gold medals and nine silver medals Pellar Estates has won in international wine competitions this year. The brand’s Riesling Icewine 2011 alone collected four gold medals in the Decanter World Wine Awards, the International Wine Challenge, the Sommelier Wine Awards and the Vinalies Internationales – said to be one of France’s most prestigious wine competitions.
Sales for the three months ended 30 June 2014 rose +9.3% to C$79.5 million (US$73 million) compared to the same quarter last year. EBITA rose +5.1% to C$10.2 million (US$9.4 million) for the first quarter compared to the same period in the prior year.
The sales increase was due to strong organic growth across all of the company’s established trade channels and the launch of new products including the introduction of skinnygrape spritzers and Panama Jack cocktails. The introduction in fiscal 2014 of Wayne Gretzky wines in Western Canada and the launch of Black Cellar wines also contributed to the strong performance.
Sales growth was particularly strong through provincial liquor control boards across the country and at the company’s network of retail outlets in Ontario. The company believes that aggressive promotional initiatives will continue to drive growth in sales going forward.
“We were very pleased with the strong sales growth generated across all of our established trade channels in the first quarter of the new fiscal year, including provincial liquor stores, our network of company-owned retail stores in Ontario, our export business, our award-winning estate wineries, and our consumer-made wine business,” commented John Peller.
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About Andrew Peller Limited
Andrew Peller Limited is a leading producer and marketer of quality wines in Canada. With wineries in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, the company markets wines produced from grapes grown in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, British Columbia’s Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, and from vineyards around the world. Its award-winning premium and ultra-premium VQA brands include Peller Estates (said to be the top selling icewine in duty free stores across Canada), Trius, Hillebrand, Thirty Bench, Crush, Wayne Gretzky, Sandhill, Calona Vineyards Artist Series, and Red Rooster.
Complementing these premium brands are a number of varietal brands including Peller Estates French Cross in the East, Peller Estates Proprietors Reserve in the West, Copper Moon, XOXO, skinnygrape, Black Cellar and Verano. Its key value priced brands comprise Hochtaler, Domaine D’Or, Schloss Laderheim, Royal, and Sommet. The company produces wine-based liqueurs and cocktails under the brand Panama Jack.
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Peller Estates was named “˜Canadian Winery of the Year’ at the 2014 WineAlign Awards |
