by Bernard Burtschy and Hervé Lalau
Bruno Paillard, president of Boizel Chanoine Champagne and new owner of Lanson, is rapidly restructuring his group. The acquisition of Lanson has tripled its turnover, setting 200 millions Euros as the target for 2006). Lanson, however, is very much in debt, and Paillard must focus the brand on the most dynamic markets: We shall reinforce our efforts on mature markets like Italy, Belgium and the US, taking one step at a time. Once we have cleaned house, we will redevelop our sales. Lanson belongs to the luxury world and should never have veered from it". Paillard has already closed several commercial offices and subsidiaries most notably Switzerland, where sales were very sluggish - and plans to increase prices. One thing should not be affected by the restructuring, though, he claims: the taste.
