Amorim registers double-digit volume growth

Cork producer Amorim recorded double-digit volume growth in 2010.

The Portuguese company sold in excess of 3 billion wine stoppers last year, posting sales volume increases of 13.8%.

New World wine markets saw raised performance levels, with revenue growth of 17.4% in Australia and 9.1% in Chile.

Amorim recorded sales volume and revenue growth in all its major Old World wine markets; France, Italy and Spain all broke sales records with double-digit year-on-year increases.

Amorim’s chairman and CEO António Amorim said: “In the wine industry, we have seen a number of wineries return to cork in the past 12 months, based on significant improvements in cork’s performance together with sustainability and consumer preferences, as well as concerns over issues with alternative closures.”

In the US Amorim registered 22 % growth in sales volume and a 20 % increase in sales revenue, while the UK market saw unit sales increase by almost 50 %.

Amorim added: “Along with the outstanding sales result, we witnessed strong consumer preference for cork in the US, an increase in the use of cork by the top 100 US wine brands, and a return to cork closures by major supermarkets in the UK.

According to Amorim, its volume sales accounted for almost 26% of total cork stopper sales in 2010.

The company estimates that cork represents 70% of all closure sales, at around 12 billion yearly.