Henkell Freixenet reported continued growth in 2024. The company achieved net sales of around €1.25bn (excluding sparkling wine and spirits tax), representing a 1.5% increase, according to a company statement.
“The year 2024 was shaped by a challenging global economic environment for the sparkling wine, wine and spirits industry. Despite declining markets, Henkell Freixenet held its ground by focusing on consumer needs and capitalising on strong trends in the sparkling wine segment. This led to dynamic growth in subcategories such as Prosecco, non-alcoholic sparkling wines and aperitifs,” said Dr Andreas Brokemper, CEO of Henkell Freixenet.
One of the key growth drivers was the Prosecco brand Mionetto, which grew by 15.7%. The company’s core German brand Henkell also posted an 8% increase, while the non-alcoholic portfolio grew strongly by 23.6%.
Challenges for Cava and workforce reductions
The performance of Cava, however, was less positive. The company cited the long-standing drought in Catalonia as having a significant negative impact on business. To meet high demand in the DACH markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Henkell Freixenet introduced “Freixenet Premium Sparkling Wine” – a Spanish sparkling wine without a designated origin.
It was recently reported that Freixenet plans to cut 24% of its jobs in Catalonia.
Reduced spending, expanding markets
Investments in 2024 were reduced by 22.7% to €30m (compared to €39m in 2023). The number of employees fell from 3,623 in 2023 to 3,535 in 2024 and is expected to decline further in 2025 due to the planned layoffs in the Cava region.
While the DACH region recorded a slight decline of 1.7% to €349m in net sales (2023: €356m), the overall growth was driven by Eastern Europe (+5.6% to €239m) and the Americas (+7% to €222m). The development in the United States is particularly noteworthy, given ongoing tariff uncertainties. Despite a declining sparkling wine market, Henkell Freixenet reportedly gained market share there.
South America remained stable, with Brazil seeing further gains in market share. Sales in Western Europe (excluding DACH) remained nearly flat (+0.8%), while Asia-Pacific saw a slight decline (–1.8% to €32m). Sales in the "Rest of the World" category (primarily Africa) dropped sharply by 40.7% to just €7m.
Looking ahead to 2025, Brokemper anticipates a continued “challenging market environment” due to ongoing geopolitical conflicts and related uncertainties that are likely to affect consumer confidence. “By continuously developing our brands and portfolios, we aim to generate growth even in challenging times,” he said, with a tone of both determination and optimism.
