New York, NY, June 20, 2018: Champagne Laurent-Perrier US, a subsidiary of the renowned, family-owned Laurent-Perrier House, announces new positions and team members to further bolster its growth and support its distribution partners.
“2017 was an exciting year for Laurent-Perrier US. We expanded our successful partnership with The Winebow Group, we sold more bottles of the Cuvée Rosé than ever before, and we launched our new signature non-vintage Brut, La Cuvée,” shared Michelle DeFeo, Laurent-Perrier US President since 2014.
“This year we reinforced our team to support short and long term goals and continue to move the brand forward in the US. The regional posts now align with our distributor’s territories for the best synergy, and the mission includes increasing sales and accounts in emerging and core markets as well as conducting trainings and tastings. The national positions will strengthen state-to-state and chain accounts, and concentrate on broadening awareness and availability in domestic channels.”
“As Laurent-Perrier’s late visionary leader Bernard de Nonancourt said, ‘there are two key factors for success: quality of the people and quality of the wines.’ With these 3 team members, we find people with the same drive and enthusiasm that has made the House successful,” concludes Michelle.
Kathleen Poyser, National Accounts Manager: Kathleen, who has been with Laurent-Perrier US since June 2014, assumed the newly minted job of National Accounts Manager in April. During her tenure, she has been deeply involved in all aspects of the company from accounting and business analytics to marketing and branding initiatives. In this new capacity, Kathleen collaborates with the distributor network to develop on- and off-premise chain and national account business. Fluent in French, Kathleen holds the WSET’s Advanced Level Award and the Wine Scholar Guild’s Champagne Master-Level Program Certificate.
Cédric Lecendre, Tri-State Regional Manager: Born and raised in northern France, Cédric moved to New York in the mid-1990s. For more than 20 years he has been involved in the hospitality and wine industry, from managing and owning restaurants—including Le Bilboquet and Cedric Bistro—to his most recent role as wine consultant at Gabriella Wines. Cédric has a deep understanding of sales, marketing and the NY community primarily from a restaurateur and buyer perspective. At Laurent-Perrier he manages the Tri-State markets of NY, NJ, and PA.
Jessica Starry, CSW, Midwest & Mid-Atlantic Manager: Jessica joins Laurent-Perrier US from Boisset Collection where she led district, state, and regional sales and marketing programs for French and American wines. Prior to this, she was a Portfolio Representative at Wine Trends, Inc. where she established and maintained a $1M sales territory, and Laurent-Perrier was in her portfolio. This experience along with past retail work gives Jessica a holistic understanding of the industry and territory. At Laurent-Perrier she oversees the Midwest (IL, MN, WI, IA, MI, OH, KY) and Mid-Atlantic (WV, VA, MD, DE, DC).
Additionally, Laurent-Perrier US is recruiting a marketing associate to drive a national advertising campaign for the Cuvée Rosé. The iconic Cuvée Rosé celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and this program, in tandem with sales activities, aims to make it even more visible and accessible.
About Champagne Laurent-Perrier:
Established in 1812, family-owned Champagne Laurent-Perrier has a long tradition of cutting edge innovation in the region and can be credited with many of the ideas that have defined Champagne production since the mid-20th century. The House focuses solely on Champagne production and has created a style defined by freshness, finesse, and elegance. They are the 8th, in the US, and 5th, internationally, largest Champagne brand.
For more information on Champagne Laurent-Perrier, the team and/or interview requests please contact:
