Elan Group
Building premium brands across borders.
Elan Group
Building premium brands across borders.
History
Elan’s story began in the early 2000s in Central Asian markets, where its two founders, Thomas Burgelin and Mathieu Bonneville, were already active in the importation, distribution and marketing of premium Wines & Spirits for leading brands such as Moët Hennessy, Diageo, Ruffino, Bacardi-Martini, Ruffino, Laroche, Torres and others. In 2002, they decided to combine their experience and jointly established a fully controlled import and distribution company in Russia, supported by a purchasing center in France, followed shortly afterwards by the opening of Kazakhstan in 2003. This marked the birth of the Elan Group.
Since then, Elan has expanded its distribution network across Asia, with new subsidiaries launched in China (2006) and South Korea (2013). At the end of 2019, Elan strengthened its presence in China by setting up a dedicated entity in Hong Kong.
In March 2022, shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Group decided to cease its operations in Russia and to further focus its development on East Asia and the Pacific region.
In 2023, Elan acquired Cépages, an established distribution company in Japan.
In 2024, Elan opened a new subsidiary in Australia, Australia Wine & Spirits (AWS).
In parallel with its expansion into new territories, the Group has significantly accelerated its growth and broadened its distribution network in existing markets by opening retail stores, e-shops and new regional offices. The Group is headquartered in Bordeaux and is led by co-founders and key shareholders Thomas Burgelin and Mathieu Bonneville, alongside the General Managers of each subsidiary.
Business model
Elan Group is an integrated network of distribution companies wholly owned by Elan Sas in France.
Elan France is responsible for :
- Overall group management and definition of global strategy
- Sourcing and purchasing, as well as portfolio management
- Outbound logistics (collection and consolidation, warehousing, repacking, international freight)
- Finance and operational control
Each subsidiary is responsible for :
- Inbound logistics (customs clearance and certification)
- Domestic sales and distribution
- Trade marketing, PR and brand communication
Supply chain
To secure and manage an efficient supply chain from production sites to final customers, Elan has developed a robust logistics network over the past 15 years. This structure enables the Group to ensure fast, cost-effective and reliable deliveries across a vast territory, including regions with extreme and highly variable climatic conditions.
To guarantee prompt service, Elan operates bonded warehouses along its international routes, as well as domestic warehouses in each market, with inventory levels covering at least five months of sales.
- Three bonded warehouses in Europe (Troyes in Champagne, Antwerp in Belgium, and Vilnius in Lithuania) are dedicated to consolidating and preparing orders for all subsidiaries (dispatching, packing, application of excise stamps and back labels when required). The Troyes warehouse maintains a permanent stock of around 300,000 bottles, mainly Bordeaux Grands Crus and other exclusive wines.
- A regional bonded warehouse in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone supplies Mainland China, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan.
- Fifteen domestic warehouses located across the territories covered by the Group.
Brands activation
Elan’s distribution focuses on premium on-trade and selected high-end retail, key channels to build and establish strong brands.
The pillars of Elan’s brand development strategy include rigorous attention to qualitative distribution, tastings, education, training and intensive brand communication.
This strategy is reinforced through regular trade events such as winemakers’ dinners, VIP dinners, nightclub events, tastings and training sessions organized throughout the year by the marketing and sales teams. Elan Group also arranges frequent visits by suppliers to their respective markets, as well as key-customer visits to production sites.
To ensure flawless execution, development, marketing, distribution and investment plans are agreed annually with key suppliers. Thanks to transparency and open communication, Elan has built strong, long-lasting relationships with its valued partners, who understand the Group’s business model and expectations. This solid foundation ensures a very high level of satisfaction among both suppliers and customers.