Britain’s biggest wine maker Chapel Down has made its debut on the Alternative Investment Market as it looks to double in size by 2026.
The Kent company had been on the Aquis Stock Exchange but shifted to the larger platform yesterday as it eyes a wider pool of investors.
Shares rose more than 3 per cent to 55.9p, valuing it at almost £90million. It comes after a record harvest thanks to warm weather in south-east England.
Cheers: Chapel Down – led by chief exec Andrew Carter (pictured) – has made its debut on the AIM market
It hopes to produce 3.4m bottles of wine in the coming year and is looking to double in size – and posted sales of £8.37million in the first half, bolstered by duty-free airport sales and the rising popularity of English fizz.
This has been aided by major sponsorship wins in recent years.
It is the English cricket sponsor and will be the official partner for Ascot races next year, and its Tenterden site welcomes as many as 65,000 visitors a year for wine tasting and tours.
Ahead of the festive season, chief executive Andrew Carter said: ‘More and more people will have a bottle of Chapel Down on their Christmas table.’
