Marie Brizard sells property in France and Poland

French drinks group Marie Brizard, maker of William Peel Scotch whisky and Sobieski Vodka, has sold real estate assets in Bordeaux and Kraków for €28 million.

Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits’ recent property sales have achieved more than three quarters of its  divestment targets

Marie Brizard has sold its “historic site” on the rue Fondaudège in Bordeaux due to the “impossibility of maintaining industrial activity in the urban centre” of the city.

The site will be turned into a “multi-activity” building incorporating shops, housing and offices, as well as a new brand home for Marie Brizard, called Maison Marie Brizard.

“[T]he group has chosen to create a site dedicated to Marie Brizard where its history, know-how and products will take center stage,” the firm said in a statement. “The Maison Marie Brizard building will also be responsible for ensuring the Marie Brizard brand’s standing and roots in Bordeaux.”

The Bordeaux site was previously used to create Marie Brizard’s namesake liqueurs range, which will now be produced at existing sites in Lormont, in the Bordeaux suburbs, and Zizurkil, in Spain.

Marie Brizard has also sold its industrial site in Polmos Kraków, in the Cracow suburbs.

The €28m combined sales from both real estate assets contributes to more than three quarters of divestment targets outlined in Marie Brizard’s BiG 2018 strategic plan. Overall, the firm is aiming to make €40m in divestments.

Marie Brizard launched its “ambitious” BiG 2018 strategic plan in February this year to recapture sales and market share. The group recently increased its sales forecast, estimating that by 2018 it will make between €450m and €500m.