V and B
V and B is a French franchise network founded in 2001 that combines wine, beer, and spirits retail caves with on-site bar and tasting spaces across 250+ stores in France, Switzerland, the UK, and Réunion. It serves individual consumers through franchise stores and generates recurring revenue from franchisee fees, centralized purchasing, and e-commerce.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersChâteau-gontier, France
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What V and B does
V and B is a French franchise network founded in 2001 that combines retail wine, beer, and spirits caves with on-site bar and tasting spaces under the unifying concept of 'ennobling beer and democratizing wine.' The legal entity is SARL V AND B CONCEPT, a single-member SARL incorporated in Laval, France with share capital of €60,000; co-founders Jean-Pierre Derouet and Emmanuel Bouvet created the concept by merging Derouet's Centr'halle Vin (1996) with Bouvet's Palais de la Bière (1994). Antoine Porcher, who joined at age 16 in 2001 and progressed through store management, network animation, and franchise direction, was appointed Director General in 2016 when the co-founders shifted to other projects.
The group operates more than 250 franchise stores across France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Réunion, supported by a 7,200 m² central logistics warehouse in Château-Gontier equipped with SCALLOG robotic automation (150 mobile shelves, 7 robots) capable of processing up to 250 bottles per hour, roughly three times faster than prior operations. Adjacent subsidiaries include Levrette Café (bar/restaurant), Brasserie Mont Hardi (brewery), Vignobles Hugues Laborde (wine production), and V and B Academy, a CFA running vocational training programs for franchisees and store staff. The company employs roughly 250 collaborators at headquarters and approximately 1,200 total across the network, and has been certified Great Place to Work with an 82% positive affirmation rate (2023).
Revenue is generated via three streams: retail product sales across the franchise network, on-site bar and tasting service revenue at each store, and franchise fees/royalties from franchisees combined with centralized purchasing margin. The group also runs a corporate/B2B channel for events and comité d'entreprise offerings and an e-commerce platform fulfilling direct-to-consumer delivery from the central warehouse. Brand visibility is reinforced through flagship sponsorship of sailor Maxime Sorel's IMOCA campaigns and the Vendée Globe departure village. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no external funding rounds or revenue figures are reported in source materials.
V and B firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- V and B
- Legal name
- SARL V AND B CONCEPT
- Website
- https://rejoinsvandb.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- V and B is a French franchise network founded in 2001 that combines wine, beer, and spirits retail caves with on-site bar and tasting spaces across 250+ stores in France, Switzerland, the UK, and Réunion. It serves individual consumers through franchise stores and generates recurring revenue from franchisee fees, centralized purchasing, and e-commerce.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
V and B industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wine, Beer, and Spirits Retail Franchise
- NAICS
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Liquor Stores (Off-Premise Spirits Retail) (CRANABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Wine Bars (CRANACAE)
Keywords
Where V and B is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Château-gontier
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
V and B business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Store Sales: Revenue from selling wines, beers, spirits, and non-alcoholic products across V and B store network. Each store combines retail cave operation with on-site bar/tasting area.
- Bar/Tasting Service: Revenue from beverage sales at the bar area within each V and B store, where customers can discover and taste products before purchasing.
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise model where the group collects fees from franchisees in exchange for brand usage, centralized purchasing power, training, and network support.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
V and B product offering
Product offeringCore offering
V and B operates a franchise network of retail stores that combine a wine cave, beer cave, and spirits cave with an on-site bar for tastings and convivial consumption, centered on the concept of 'ennobling beer and democratizing wine.' The company also operates V and B Academy for vocational training, an e-commerce delivery platform, and the Levrette Café bar/restaurant sub-brand.
Product overview
V and B is a French franchise network founded in 2001, combining wine, beer, and spirits retail (cave) with integrated bar and tasting spaces. The core V and B franchise concept centers on 'ennobling beer and democratizing wine' through an in-store experience that includes a retail cellar and a dedicated bar for discovery and tastings. The group also operates V and B Academy, its internal training and CFA arm, which delivers two vocational programs: Manager Caviste (store management, launched 2022) and Caviste V and B (product expertise and sales, launched 2024). Online sales are served through the V and B e-commerce channel. The group additionally manages the Levrette Café bar/restaurant sub-brand and holds partnerships in yachting (IMOCA V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) and logistics robotics (SCALLOG).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- V and B Franchise Concept A wine-beer-spirits retail franchise combining a cave (wine/beer/spirits cellar) with a dedicated bar and tasting space, centered on 'ennobling beer and democratizing wine.' Stores offer product discovery, tasting experiences, themed evenings, and customer events alongside retail sales.
- V and B Academy V and B's internal training school and CFA (centre de formation d'apprentis), delivering professional qualification programs for future cavistes and store managers within the franchise network, covering both initial training and continuing education with a focus on product expertise and store management.
- Caviste V and B Training Program A 15-week vocational training program run by V and B Academy, alternating between theory and in-store practice across V and B locations; curriculum covers wines, beers, spirits, and non-alcoholic products alongside sales techniques, culminating in a state-recognized 'Conseiller de vente' diploma.
- Manager Caviste Training Program The original V and B Academy program, training aspiring franchisees and managers in wines, beers, spirits, and store management, combining product knowledge with business and management skills to prepare candidates to operate a V and B franchise independently.
- V and B E-commerce Online ordering platform delivering V and B's full product range of wines, beers, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages directly to individual and professional customers, with orders prepared at the central warehouse and delivered via V and B's own fleet or logistics partners.
- Levrette Café A bar and dining brand operated within the V and B group, distinct from the core V and B cave-bar franchise, offering bar, restaurant, and brasserie-style service across multiple French locations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Orders processed 3x faster with SCALLOG robotic warehouse automation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use V and B
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
V and B technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
V and B partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- SCALLOGcoreSCALLOG provides robotic warehouse automation solution for V and B's central logistics warehouse. The system uses intelligent robots and mobile shelves, enabling order preparation 3x faster (up to 250 bottles/hour) with 150 mobile shelves and 7 robots in a 7,200 m² facility.
- Vendée GlobeflagshipV and B was partner of the departure village for the 10th Vendée Globe edition (Oct 19 – Nov 10, 2024). Operated a 500 m² V and B Globe bar at the village, hosted concerts, themed evenings (Oktoberfest, Halloween), and product tastings. Over 1.3 million sailing enthusiasts visited the village. This marked the final year as sponsor of Maxime Sorel.
- Maxime SorelflagshipProfessional sailor and IMOCA skipper. Since 2014, V and B has sponsored Maxime Sorel's sailing competitions including the Vendée Globe (10th place 2021, partner for 2024 edition), Transat Jacques Vabre (8th place 2023), and Route du Rhum (2022). Sails on the IMOCA V and B – Monbana – Mayenne featuring the dragon design. National sponsor for Vaincre la Mucoviscidose association.
- Vaincre la MucoviscidosecoreCharity association fighting cystic fibrosis. Maxime Sorel serves as national sponsor. V and B supports through '24,000 P'tits Moulins around the World' campaign where small windmills are sold for €2 minimum in stores, representing the 24,000 nautical miles of the Vendée Globe route.
- Department of MayenneflagshipRegional government partner in the V and B – Monbana – Mayenne IMOCA sailing project. Maxime Sorel represents the department in his sailing competitions, with 'Mayenne' featured prominently on the boat.
- Monbana (Chocolaterie)flagshipChocolate company partner in the V and B – Monbana – Mayenne IMOCA project. The three entities (V and B, Department of Mayenne, Monbana) are united in the sailing project and the 'Souffle du dragon' (Dragon's Breath) campaign supporting Vaincre la Mucoviscidose.
- Virtual RegattaminorOnline sailing simulation game partnership for the Vendée Globe. Players could join the private 'V and B – Mayenne' race using the 'DRAGON' code, with 6,778+ virtual sailors participating.
- Kaïros (Roland Jourdain)minorSailing technical structure run by double Route du Rhum winner Roland Jourdain (Bilou). Based in Concarneau, Kaïros has housed Maxime Sorel's boat yard since 2018 and serves as the technical base for V and B – Mayenne.
- Brasserie Saint GermainminorLocal brewery partner featured at V and B events and stores. Example of V and B's strategy to partner with local producers alongside national suppliers.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
V and B competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Intermarché: Major French hypermarket and convenience chain with extensive beer/wine/spirits assortments across thousands of stores; a broad-incumbent competitor for the same alcoholic beverage retail spend.
- Carrefour Market: French hypermarket and city-store operator with a substantial alcohol offering across formats; competes for V and B's consumers as a non-specialist incumbent with much higher store density.
Others
- Ventealapropriete.com: Major French online wine merchant selling direct to consumers via e-commerce; competes for V and B's wine retail customers through a digital channel rather than a physical retail network.
Direct peers
- Nicolas: France's largest specialized wine retail chain (owned by Castel Group) with hundreds of stores selling beer, wine, and spirits — directly comparable French off-premise alcohol retailer to V and B.
- Lavinia: Paris-founded wine and spirits retail chain with integrated tasting bars and on-site restaurant, operating a near-identical hybrid retail-plus-tasting model to V and B in France.
- Cavavin: French multi-store wine retail franchise network operating across France; structurally similar to V and B's franchise-led approach to alcohol specialty retail.
Emerging players
- BrewDog: Global craft beer brewer-retailer combining brewery, retail bars, and product discovery experiences; mirrors V and B's model of bundling retail with on-premise tasting in a single category.
Regional players
- Majestic Wine: UK's largest specialist wine retailer with in-store tasting events and customer experience focus; functionally similar to V and B but serving a UK/European footprint outside France.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
V and B social profiles
Digital presenceV and B financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
V and B leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
V and B subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
V and B funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
V and B M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about V and B
What does V and B do?
V and B operates a franchise network of retail stores that combine a wine cave, beer cave, and spirits cave with an on-site bar for tastings and convivial consumption, centered on the concept of 'ennobling beer and democratizing wine.' The company also operates V and B Academy for vocational training, an e-commerce delivery platform, and the Levrette Café bar/restaurant sub-brand.
Is V and B a public or private company?
V and B is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was V and B founded?
V and B was founded in 2001. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is V and B based?
V and B is headquartered in Château-gontier, France, in the Europe region.
How does V and B make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Store Sales are the primary driver. The others are bar/Tasting Service and franchise Fees and Royalties.
Who are V and B's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Intermarché and Carrefour Market. Ventealapropriete.com is listed as an others. Direct peers are Nicolas, Lavinia and Cavavin. BrewDog is listed as an emerging player. Majestic Wine is listed as a regional player.
Does V and B have an API?
No public API is recorded for V and B.
What industry is V and B in?
V and B's product category is Wine, Beer, and Spirits Retail Franchise. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANABAA, Liquor Stores (Off-Premise Spirits Retail), with a secondary code of CRANACAE, Wine Bars. Its NAICS code is 445320 and its SIC code is 5180.