Champagne sales fell 18% last year as pandemic weighed -producers

PARIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Champagne sales fell 18% in volume terms in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered drinking venues, although the decline was less than feared previously due to strong year-end demand, producers group CIVC said on Tuesday.

The drop brought volumes sold to 245 million bottles compared with almost 300 million in 2019. In value terms, initial projections put 2020 sales down around 1 billion euros ($1.22 billion) at some 4 billion euros, CIVC said.

In the wake of initial lockdowns to contain the novel coronavirus, the group had projected annual sales volumes would fall by about a third and value sales by 1.7 billion euros. ($1 = 0.8228 euros) (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide and Gus Trompiz; editing by David Evans)